Man ignites fires outside of predominantly Black church in Rhode Island, feds say
“Eliminate Rich Snob global Elite Pastors, burn churches down to the ground.”
That’s a journal entry written by a 36-year-old man who ignited fires around the outside of a predominantly Black church in Rhode Island in February 2024, federal officials said.
Kevin Colantonio pleaded guilty to malicious damage by means of fire and obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, after he’s accused of setting fires outside of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries in North Providence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island said in a Feb. 27 news release.
During a February 2024 search of Colantonio’s home, authorities found notebooks with writings about his plans to “hunt” down non-white church congregants, according to the release.
McClatchy News reached out to Colantonio’s attorney but they declined to comment.
According to an affidavit, North Providence police and fire officials responded to reports of a man — later identified as Colantonio — trying to set the church building on fire just after midnight on Feb. 11.
Officers arrived first and saw five flames around the exterior of the building which they said they were able to put out quickly.
According to the affidavit, the pastor of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries called police the day before about a man trying to break in. The pastor said he saw him through a security camera and spoke to him through it before he broke it off the side of the building, police said.
An investigation later revealed that Colantonio bought $10 worth of gas and a handheld lighter at a gas station near the church minutes before lighting the flames.
No one was in the building at the time of the fires, but the outside was damaged, causing church services to be temporarily suspended until repairs were made, officials said.
Colantonio was later arrested, and while detained, he threw a mug filled with bodily waste and fluid at two federal officers, according to a criminal complaint.
He is scheduled to be sentenced May 27, according to the release. He faces a maximum sentence of 56 years in prison, a fine of $1 million and a term of supervised release of 3 years, according to court documents.
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Man ignites fires outside of predominantly Black church in Rhode Island, feds say."
