The man suspected of setting fire to Mississippi’s largest synagogue allegedly confessed his crimes to law enforcement and referred to the building in northeast Jackson as the “synagogue of Satan,” according to a federal court document filed Monday.
Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, of Madison, is facing federal charges for using fire to maliciously damage or destroy a building involved in interstate commerce, according to a probable cause affidavit in the U.S. Southern District of Mississippi.
The Beth Israel Congregation synagogue also houses the offices of the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, which provides school programs and traveling rabbinical services to Jewish congregations across the South.
The predawn fire Saturday reduced the historic synagogue’s library and administrative offices to charred ruins and left smoke damage throughout the building, the same one the Ku Klux Klan bombed in 1967 for its rabbi’s support of civil rights.
This photo shows damage to the Beth Israel Congregation synagogue library from a fire that occurred hours earlier on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Jackson. Credit: Courtesy of Beth Israel CongregationIn a striking parallel, Pittman is alleged to have set fire to the same part of the octagonal building that burned in the 1967 attack – a wing facing a parking lot exit on Old Canton Road.
Pittman was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday afternoon. Federal court documents did not list an attorney for him and did not include a booking photograph of him.
Federal investigators quickly identified Pittman as a person of interest, according to the affidavit, which includes text messages he allegedly sent to his father in the course of setting the fire.
The father pleaded for his son to return home, the affidavit says, but Pittman “replied back by saying he was due for a homerun and ‘I did my research.’”
Pittman is alleged to have confessed to his father, who later contacted the FBI and provided GPS data showing Pittman was at the synagogue early Saturday morning.
The son “laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them,” says the affidavit from Nicholas Amiano, an FBI agent in the Jackson division.
Amiano said Pittman purchased gasoline from Mac’s Gas in Ridgeland, where he also removed the license plate from his truck. Then he drove to the synagogue, used an ax to break through one of the windows, went inside, poured gasoline and lit it on fire with a torch lighter.
Once at Beth Israel, Pittman also texted his father a photo of the back of the synagogue writing “there’s a furnace in the back,” “Btw my plate is off,” “Hoodie is on” and “and they have the best cameras.”
Investigators recovered a burnt cell phone believed to be Pittman’s and a hand torch found at the synagogue by a member of the congregation, the affidavit says.
Security camera video obtained by Mississippi Today shows a hooded person splashing liquid inside the lobby of the synagogue, spraying his legs in the process. A screengrab of the security footage is included in the FBI affidavit.
This photo shows damage to a skylight at the Beth Israel Congregation synagogue from a fire that occurred hours earlier on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Jackson. Credit: Courtesy of Beth Israel CongregationMayor John Horhn said Monday the suspect drove himself to a hospital after he was burned in the course of setting the fire. He added there is a possibility the suspect will be charged with a hate crime. The affidavit states that Pittman sustained burns on his ankles, hands and face.
“We thought that Mississippi was beyond that sort of thing,” Horhn said on Mississippi Today’s podcast.
By Monday, news of the arson had drawn an outpouring of local support for Beth Israel. The mayor, multiple city council members, religious institutions and elected officials condemned the attack, which has also caught the attention of top officials at the U.S. Department of Justice.
In a statement to Mississippi Today, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, a Republican who has long lived near the synagogue, condemned the attack.
“The burning of Beth Israel Synagogue was an act of religious hatred against a place meant to offer prayerful peace and comfort,” Hosemann said. “This was not only an attack on a house of worship, but also an offense against the religious freedom protected by our Constitution. Such acts threaten all of us, regardless of faith. The perpetrator should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
News of the attack also reverberated internationally over the weekend. Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, wrote on the social media site X that she was “personally involved and my team is in touch with the US Attorney’s office locally.”
Other officials who publicly condemned the attack include the Democratic leaders in Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Pittman was a multi-year honor roll student and varsity baseball player at St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison, according to previous local news reports.
After graduating from St. Joseph in 2024, Pittman played baseball at Coahoma Community College.
“I am blessed to announce I will be commuting to Coahoma Community College to play baseball,” Pittman posted on X in 2023. “Thank you God and everyone who has helped me along the way! Go tigers!”
Pittman posted regularly on his X account, often about baseball and Christianity. Many posts pair videos of him practicing his swing in a batting cage with a captioned Bible verse.
His most recent post, on Jan. 6, links to a webpage called One Purpose, which describes itself as a faith-based community for men focused on “Scripture-backed fitness. Brotherhood accountability. Life-expectancy maxxing.”
He was an outfielder and played in at least 10 games for Coahoma Community College, according to the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference.
Before law enforcement officials revealed Pittman’s name Monday, Pittman’s name and photograph no longer appeared on the Coahoma Community College’s online roster. The community college did not immediately respond to a phone call requesting comment on Monday.
A gathering of religious leaders across Jackson planned for later this week has shifted its focus to uplifting Beth Israel in the wake of the attack. The citywide prayer service will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at Thalia Mara Hall, according to a city press release.
Beth Israel has established a donation fund for rebuilding, with a link on the congregation’s website.
1/12/2026: This story has been updated to show that federal court documents did not list an attorney for Pittman and did not include a booking photo of him.
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