Cop Car Arsonist During Floyd Protests In Philly Gets Federal Sentence

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia woman who set two Philadelphia Police vehicles on fire amid protests and riots in summer 2020 will spend more than two years in federal prison.

United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero Friday said that Lore Elisabeth Blumenthal, 35, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay more than $95,000 restitution in connection with the arson of two Philadelphia Police Department vehicles during the 2020 civil unrest in Philadelphia following the death of George Floyd.

In June 2020, Blumenthal was charged by criminal complaint following investigations into multiple arsons of law enforcement vehicles during the protests that occurred in response to the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Former Minneapolis Police Officers Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao are all behind bars in connection with Floyd's death.

Blumenthal's charges stemmed from incidents which occurred on May 30, 2020, during which she set fire to two PPD vehicles that were parked on the north side of Philadelphia City Hall.

In March 2022, Blumenthal pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing, impeding and interfering with law enforcement officers engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties during the commission of a civil disorder.

Following peaceful protests in the early afternoon of May 30, civil unrest began to unfold later that afternoon in Philadelphia that resulted in looting, burglary, arson, destruction of property, and other crimes.

On that day, a Philadelphia Police sedan and a Philadelphia Police sport utility vehicle, were parked on the north side of City Hall in Philadelphia.

Authorities said of Blumenthal of setting fire to both vehicles during the afternoon unrest.

According to the complaint, various videos taken at the scene captured the defendant wearing protective goggles and gloves, taking a flaming piece of wooden police barricade from the rear window of the PPD sedan that was already on fire, and then shoving the flaming wood into the PPD SUV that was not on fire.

Within minutes, the SUV was also completely engulfed in flames. As a result of the fires, both vehicles were destroyed.

Authorities tracked down Blumenthal through social media photos, an Etsy store she runs, and her LinkedIn profile.

"Now that several of those arrested in Philadelphia in connection with arsons during the 2020 racial justice protests have been sentenced in federal court, it is important to reflect on the gravity of what happened in our city and across the country," Romero said. "We witnessed a movement that spurred thousands of people to take to the streets to peacefully protest unequal treatment under the law, but some saw it as an opportunity to commit violent, destructive crimes that endangered the lives of many, and ultimately robbed taxpayer-funded resources from the mission of protecting the public. That is unacceptable, and our Office will continue to work to ensure that all Americans can safely and freely exercise their First Amendment rights, while holding accountable those who would hijack peaceful protests for their own violent and selfish ends."