Just days after the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris nearly burnt down due to what authorities believe was a workplace accident, an American professor was arrested for plotting to burn down the historic St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City earlier this week.

The Setonian reports that "Seton Hall adjunct philosophy professor Marc Lamparello was taken into custody by NYPD counterterrorism officers yesterday evening after walking into St. Patrick’s Cathedral with gasoline cans." In a press conference on Thursday, "NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller told reporters that Lamparello pulled up in a minivan near the cathedral around 8:00 p.m. He then proceeded to remove two 2-gallon gasoline cans, two butane lighters and two bottles of lighter fluid from the vehicle and proceeded to make his way up the church steps. "

When stopped by police, Lamparello apparently said that his car had ran out of gasoline and that he was moving through the crowd to go fill up his tank with fuel. Miller told media that "the totality of circumstances—of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral, carrying over two gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters—is something that we would have great concern over."

He "added that Lamparello had also booked a $2,800 ticket to Rome set to depart on Thursday evening before arriving at St. Patrick’s." Lamparello was officially " charged with Attempted Arson, Reckless Endangerment and Trespassing."

The professor, for his part, told his students that classes would be canceled the rest of the week due to an "unforeseen illness."