UPDATE: N.J. man charged with attempted arson at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was arrested 2 days earlier at Newark’s famed Sacred Heart church

A man carrying two canisters of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters into St. Patrick’s Cathedral was arrested Wednesday night, just two days after a massive blaze gutted the Notre Dame cathedral in France, according to New York City Police Department.

The 37-year-old man, who has not been identified by police, parked his minivan near the church, walked inside carrying the pair of two gallon canisters at 7:55 p.m. and was stopped and questioned by church security before leaving the church, police said.

“As he enters the cathedral he’s confronted by a cathedral security officer who asks him where he’s going and informs him he can’t proceed into the cathedral carrying these things,” said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller. “At that point some gasoline apparently spills out onto the floor as he’s turned around.”

Officers from the NYPD Critical Response Command team were called and were able to locate the man, who told them he had run out of gas and wanted to cut through the cathedral to get to his destination.

Around 7:55pm, a man walked into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan with gas cans and lighter fluid, and was subsequently apprehended by @NYPDCT without incident. We thank our partners for their help, and remember - if you see something, say something. pic.twitter.com/qEbmklnqzQ — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 18, 2019

Police checked his car and when they found it still had gasoline in its tank, he was taken into custody.

“It’s hard to say exactly what his intentions were, but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something that we would have great concern over,” Miller said. “His story is not consistent.”

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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