Police Cars Set on Fire in New York as City Awaits Trump Indictment

• Two police cars were set on fire in Manhattan on Monday evening.
• The motive for the fire is not clear and an investigation is ongoing.
• This comes as the New York Police Department is on alert for unrest ahead of Donald Trump's possible indictment.
• The former president said he would be arrested on Tuesday and called for his supporters to protest.

Two police cars were set on fire in Manhattan on Monday night, with the New York Police Department on alert for unrest ahead of Donald Trump's possible indictment.

The suspect approached two police vehicles parked in front of 45 West 29th Street at about 8.40 p.m. and set them on fire, a spokesperson for the NYPD told Newsweek.

Both vehicles were unattended and unoccupied at the time, the spokesperson said.

A preliminary investigation determined the suspect also set fire to two trash cans in front of 800 Sixth Avenue. Video on social media showed firefighters responding to that blaze outside of a Bank of America location as plumes of smoke filled the street.

"The fires at both locations were successfully extinguished and no injuries have been reported as a result," an NYPD spokesperson said.

The motive was unclear and an investigation is ongoing.

No arrests have been made. Police described the suspect they are seeking as a man with a light complexion, aged in his 20s, with blonde hair. He was last seen wearing a black backpack.

The news came as law enforcement officials made security preparations in the city, with NYPD officers putting up metal barricades outside Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office on Monday, about two miles away from where the police cruisers were set on fire.

Citing "illegal leaks," Trump on Saturday said he would be arrested on Tuesday and called for his supporters to protest his possible arrest.

A New York grand jury has been investigating Trump over hush money paid to women who have alleged sexual encounters with the former president.

Trump has denied the sexual encounters occurred, said he "did absolutely nothing wrong" and called the investigation a "witch hunt" aimed at derailing his 2024 campaign for president.

The grand jury appears poised to wrap up its work soon, according to The Associated Press. It heard from Robert Costello, a lawyer with close ties to numerous key Trump aides, on Monday.

Trump was invited by prosecutors to appear before the grand jury after saying he had information to undercut the credibility of Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer who turned against him and became a key witness in the investigation.

"THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" Trump wrote in his Saturday post on Truth Social.

In other posts, the former president criticized the investigation and attacked Bragg.

Trump's comments sparked comparisons to the rhetoric he used prior to the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, by Trump loyalists.

"The NYPD continues to work with our federal, state and local partners to keep New Yorkers safe," an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement to Newsweek on Tuesday.

"While you will see an increased uniformed presence throughout the five boroughs, there are currently no credible threats to New York City. The department remains ready and available to respond to protest and counter protests and will ensure everyone is able to peacefully exercise their first amendment rights. We will never tolerate violence or property damage."

Officials in New York have been monitoring online chatter of threats of varying specificity, the AP reported.

The response to Trump's calls for protests has been tepid so far, with more journalists reportedly showing up to an event on Monday than Trump supporters.

Update 3/21/23, 10:57 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from the NYPD.