Suspect Seized in Firebombing of 5 Modesto Churches

Five churches were firebombed within two hours of each other Sunday night but there was little damage and no serious injuries, police said Monday.

A 35-year-old man was arrested on charges of arson and attempted arson following the attacks, said Police Sgt. Russ Serana.

“It was just lucky that they landed in areas that didn’t ignite real fast or that someone was there to put them out right away,” Police Lt. Elwyn Miller said of the firebombs.

Steven Wayne Hamilton of Modesto was arrested after a witness gave police a description of a vehicle he saw leaving the area, Serana said. Bail was set at $28,000.

Different Denominations

The firebombed churches were of different denominations. Police identified them as the Orangeburg Baptist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Grace Lutheran Church, the First Baptist Church and St. Stanislaus Catholic Church.

One bomb was a beer can filled with gasoline and wrapped in a pillowcase that had been ignited, according to a witness.

The only injury was reported at First Baptist Church where a bomb was lobbed onto a concrete roof. A church member who put out the small blaze with a fire extinguisher received a minor burn on the leg.

Officers stopped Hamilton’s pickup truck about an hour after the last attack, Serana said. There was a can of gasoline in the back of the vehicle, Miller said.