NYPD: Man with gas cans tried to enter St. Patrick’s church

St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.  AFP

NEW YORK, United States — Days after flames ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, church personnel stopped a man carrying jugs of gasoline from entering the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

Police say the 37-year-old man was accosted while entering the landmark cathedral in Manhattan at about 9 p.m. Wednesday. Authorities were investigating whether the unidentified man is emotionally disturbed.

There is currently a heavy police presence outside the cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was built in 1878, has installed a sprinkler-like system during recent renovations and its wooden roof is coated with fire retardant. /cbb