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The out-of-state man arrested last fall for setting garbage cans on fire on both the UWS and UES has now been indicted for a total of seven arsons across the two neighborhoods.
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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced yesterday that Michael Patterson, 38, of Tigard, Oregon, has been charged with five counts of Arson in the Third Degree and four counts of Arson in the Fifth Degree.“Michael Patterson allegedly committed a series of arsons on Manhattan’s public streets,” said District Attorney Bragg. “These dangerous fires extensively damaged public and private property, including five vehicles, and it is fortunate that no one was injured.”
According to the indictment, Patterson set four fires on the Upper East Side in the late-night hours of September 30, 2025, into the early morning hours of October 1, 2025.
At approximately 11:55 p.m., Patterson allegedly set fire to a pile of garbage near East 92nd Street and Madison Avenue, substantially damaging a parked car nearby. Just two minutes later, at 11:57 p.m., he allegedly set fire to garbage near East 91st Street and Park Avenue—a blaze that completely destroyed one vehicle and substantially damaged another.
Around 12:25 a.m. on October 1, Patterson allegedly set fire to trash inside a garbage can near East 70th Street and Madison Avenue, followed minutes later by another garbage can fire near East 71st Street and Madison Avenue.
As East Side Feed reported at the time, witnesses described seeing a “car completely melted and bombed out,” and police were searching for a suspect matching Patterson’s description.
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The indictment also covers three fires Patterson allegedly set on the Upper West Side on October 17, 2025.At approximately 2:55 a.m., Patterson allegedly set a garbage can on fire near West 79th Street and Broadway. About 30 minutes later, at 3:29 a.m., he allegedly set garbage bags on fire near West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue, with flames spreading to two parked cars and substantially damaging both vehicles. The final fire occurred at 4:10 a.m., when Patterson allegedly dumped trash from a garbage can into a tree planter and set it ablaze.
Patterson was arrested later that morning at 6:46 a.m. and charged with multiple counts including criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and arson.
The day before his arson arrest, Patterson—or someone matching his description—allegedly kicked a dog and spat on several people on West 67th Street. Kevin Gifford-Tinker, whose dog Agent Starling was kicked, told ILTUWS at the time that the man “seemed mentally unwell” and was “mumbling nonsense.” When Gifford-Tinker later visited the 20th Precinct, an officer confirmed the man in his photos was Patterson.
“He is obviously struggling with something,” Gifford-Tinker said in October. “I just hope he’s getting the help.”
District Attorney Bragg emphasized the seriousness of the charges, noting that “in Manhattan, we take extremely seriously conduct that endangers our communities—whether to people or to property.”
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