An East Longmeadow man was arrested and charged in connection with attempted arson at a Longmeadow assisted living residential facility. John Michael Rathbun, 36, was charged in a criminal complaint in federal court in Springfield with two counts of attempted arson. Rathbun will make an initial appearance via videoconference before Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson. According to the criminal complaint, on April 2, 2020, police discovered a homemade incendiary device at the entrance of Ruth’s House, a Jewish-sponsored assisted living residential facility for seniors of all faiths, located on Converse Street in Longmeadow. The device was located within feet of a widely used pedestrian walkway and approximately 50 yards from the Ruth’s House facility. Ruth’s House is located within one square mile of several other Jewish facilities, including three Jewish temples, a Jewish private school and a Jewish Community Center. It is alleged that the incendiary device consisted of a five-gallon plastic Scepter gas canister, filled with liquid believed to be flammable gasoline, with burnt paper (later identified as a Christian religious pamphlet) placed in the nozzle of the canister. A portion of the pamphlet was charred and appeared to have been lit on fire in an attempt to ignite the gas. Law enforcement observed what appeared to be blood stains on the canister handle and on the pamphlet. On or about April 9, 2020, it was determined that samples of the stains on the canister and the pamphlet were linked to Rathbun’s DNA profile.
