‘Suspicious’ fire damages new Belleville church days before its first services
Jaiven Nicholson was riding with his mother through the parking lot at Bellevue Park Plaza Tuesday morning when he spotted smoke billowing from one of the shopping center’s buildings.
“Mom, the church is on fire,” the 10-year-old shouted to his mother, who called 911.
A Belleville police officer who was already nearby also spotted the smoke and was able to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but Belleville Fire Chief Tom Pour said the department is investigating its cause as suspicious.
There is no structural damage at New Gate Church, which recently leased the space at 109 N. 47th Street. The space once housed Remick Hardware equipment rentals and, before that, a Glik’s clothing store.
But the smoke damage will delay the church’s first services, which were scheduled this coming Sunday, say pastors Carolyn and Precious Ewuzie.
“We were so excited to open. We were ready to go,” Carolyn Ewuzie said.
When firefighters arrived around 7:30 a.m., they found that the bottom of the church’s glass front doors had been broken and that a small fire had started inside, Pour said. Nothing — including electronics, sound equipment, tools or other supplies — was stolen from inside the locked building, the pastors said.
The church was unoccupied at the time.
Belleville Police Wednesday afternoon said they identified a person of interest they believe may be connected to the fire. Detectives are looking for an adult black male with a beard last seen wearing a tan coat and blue hat. According to police, the man had been in the Bellevue Park Plaza area for several hours before the fire started.
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 618-234-1212. Other evidence has been sent to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab for analysis.
In the meantime, the church’s pastors say it’s clear to them that someone tried intentionally to burn their church down.
“You can see where someone poured an accelerant,” Precious Ewuzie said as he pointed out the fire damage and broken glass on the carpet right inside the church doors. “We don’t know who would have targeted us. We have had a church (in Belleville) before and it was a good place for us...
“Someone wanted to do damage — period.”
Carolyn Ewuzie said the church recently took out an insurance policy, but that it was yet to be signed. The couple has a good relationship with property owner Ken Reilly, she said, and will work with him to determine what to do next.
Reilly, who operates Belleville Boxing Club in the suite next door to the church, said that it was “pretty obvious” someone had tried to set the building on fire, but that he doesn’t know of anyone who might be mad at him.
“If someone wanted to hurt me, they would have gone after my gym,” he said.
The alleged arson won’t deter Precious and Carolyn from opening their church, they said. It just may take some more time to get back to where they were before the fire.
“We’re willing to stay and fight,” Carolyn said. “We wanted to come back into this community... we won’t be run out of the city.”
The couple said other churches and family and friends already have offered their support in their efforts to rebuild.
On Tuesday afternoon, Jaiven Nicholson and his family visited the church to make sure everyone was OK. Carolyn and Precious thanked him for alerting his mother to call 911. They took pictures with him and his family.
“You saved the day,” Precious told him.
The couple has started a GoFundMe to help support restoration.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 6:23 PM.
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