'Joker' Charged With Lighting Chicago Police Car To Watch It Burn

CHICAGO — A man who donned a "Joker" mask as he set a police car ablaze Saturday in Chicago was arrested Tuesday, according to the FBI. Investigators reported they were able to identify the man as a prime suspect within a few days of the incident with the help of a distinctive neck tattoo.

Timothy W. O'Donnell, 31, has been charged with one count of causing fire damage to a Chicago Police Department vehicle used in interstate commerce. O'Donnell, who authorities said most recently lived in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, faces a minimum of five years in federal prison if convicted of the charge.

"Anyone involved in destructive behavior — such as setting fire to a police car — should know that federal law enforcement will use all tools available to us to hold them accountable," U.S. Attorney John Lausch said in a statement. "We will continue to work with the Chicago Police Department and our federal and state partners to apprehend and charge arsonists and others engaging in violent crime."

Widely shared photos and videos showed a man in a black hat, denim jacket and jeans place a lit object into the gas tank of a Chicago Police Department SUV in the 200 block of State Street Saturday as peaceful demonstrations were punctuated with property damage before developing into widespread theft downtown.

After the squad car goes up in flames, the masked man was seen posing in front of the blaze before sitting on a curb and rolling a cigarette.

Investigators contacted one of O'Donnell's family members Monday, who said they paid rent for his room in an apartment on West 19th Place, according to an affidavit from FBI agent Ryan Furman.

A judge signed off on a search warrant and authorities raided the apartment on Tuesday, according to Furman. The search turned up the same type of "Joker" mask as worn by the arsonist captured on video, and O'Donnell confessed to the arson, Furman alleged in the affidavit.

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A Chicago police booking photo from a 2018 arrest connected to a narcotics charge shows O'Donnell with a neck tattoo matching that of the masked fire-starter. The tattoo says, "PRETTY."

O'Donnell is the second Illinois man accused of arson-related offenses by federal prosecutors following the weekend's protests in Chicago.

A Central Illinois man faces charges including civil disorder, carrying on a riot and possession of unregistered destructive devices.

O'Donnell's initial appearance in federal court has yet to be scheduled, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago.