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A 21-year-old college student has come forward to claim responsibility for burning a cross in a popular Chicago park last week, but denied he was making a racist statement despite city leaders initially condemning it as an act of hate.
A University of Illinois Chicago senior told NBC 5 Chicago on Monday that he was the person seen leaving the scene at Grant Park last week, where onlookers filmed a cross in flames.
The man explained he was protesting President Donald Trump and had put a red hat on the cross to symbolize the MAGA hat. He said he did not realize that the protest would be viewed as racial.
"I did know about this historical relevance beforehand," the man told NBC 5. "But I didn’t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did. 'Cause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender."
A University of Illinois Chicago student told NBC 5 Chicago he lit a cross on fire in Grant Park to protest the Trump administration. (Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)
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Hours after the report aired, the Chicago Police confirmed to NBC 5 that a person of interest was in custody in connection with the viral incident. The department put out a community alert on June 11 asking for the public's assistance in seeking a person of interest who was "observed fleeing from the scene where an object was constructed and lit on fire" with an image of a young shirtless man wearing a backpack.
In a statement, Chicago Police told Fox News Digital they cannot release the names of potential offenders or persons of interest until they have been charged.
According to NBC 5, the student whom they interviewed previously sent the station a video taking responsibility for the incident and apologizing to those offended, while reiterating his anti-Trump stance.
"I don't want to wait 'til his term ends," he said in the video. "I don't want to wait until he may or may not get impeached. I want him gone right now."
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
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He denied he was threatening the president when asked by NBC reporter Chuck Goudie.
"I said, I said he deserves to stand trial to the American people," he told Goudie.
"You use the word 'end'," Goudie responds.
"That’s what I mean. By end, I don’t mean like a civil war, if that’s the imagery that you’re trying to imagine," the student continued.
He told Goudie he was protesting "MAGA Christian nationalist supporters" and the "Trump administration ruling class" and did not think his actions should be treated as a hate crime.
Historically, cross burnings in the U.S. have been used to intimidate Black Americans, and they are well-known as being associated with the Ku Klux Klan.
Photos shared by Chicago Police of a person of interest seen fleeing an act of arson in Grant Park last week. (Chicago Police Department)
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Initial media reports focused on a potential racial motive.
An AP report highlighted how former President Barack Obama delivered his presidential victory acceptance speech from the same park where the cross was discovered, and said the incident sent "shock waves" through the city, where it said more than 1 in 4 residents are Black.
Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was "deeply disturbed" by the incident, saying "hate has no place in our city."
"Every Chicagoan deserves to feel safe, protected, and respected while going about their day or enjoying our public spaces," Johnson wrote in a post on X Wednesday. "We will continue working across city government to uphold that standard and ensure Chicago remains a welcoming, inclusive, and safe place for all."
Mayor Brandon Johnson answers questions during a news conference at Chicago City Hall on Feb. 25, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
A local Catholic church, the Faith Community of Saint Sabina, also posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the incident, AP reported.
Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church gave a statement to Block Club Chicago that called the act a hate crime.
"Racism has always been a part of America’s DNA, and this week it has raised its head boldly and loudly," Pfleger reportedly said. "This bold rise of racism must be condemned by every race, faith community and Chicagoan as was done with the swastika and treated as a hate crime."
Several members of the council’s Black Caucus also condemned the incident, in comments to Block Club Chicago.
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"There’s no good reason to burn a cross in the middle of a public park," Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) said. "I imagine there’s only some ill intent there, and that it is likely a hate crime of some way, shape or form."
Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Johnson's office and the White House for comment.
Kristine Parks is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Read more.
