The National Park Service and Boston police are investigating an act of arson at the Museum of African American History Boston, where a staff member discovered package contents set on fire behind the building on Joy Street in Beacon Hill.
Dr. Noelle Trent, president and CEO of the museum’s Boston and Nantucket campuses, said she believes it could turn out to be a possible hate crime.
A Boston Police spokesperson confirmed to GBH News that the department is investigating the incident along with NPS, and is working with civil right groups to look for “bias indicators.”
According to Boston police, the incident occurred at 8:07 a.m. Wednesday morning and was caught on security video. Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect, described as a white male, wearing a dark jacket, a light-colored shirt or sweatshirt underneath, dark pants, and white sneakers. Police say he “appeared to be carrying a light-colored bag or package in one of the stills.”
Police say anyone with information is strongly urged to contact District A-1 Detectives at 617-343-4571, or to provide information anonymously, call 1-800-494-TIPS, text the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463); or submit a tip online through Boston Police CrimeStoppers.
Separately, the National Park Service confirmed it is investigating the incident, saying “an unidentified person opened a delivery package left outside, removed some of the contents, and burned some of the contents in the small alley behind the Meeting House.”
Trent said that security video shows a suspect taking an Amazon package, sifting through the contents and scattering them across the property before lighting several on fire.
“It was very distressing for us and we called the National Park Service Law Enforcement as we are a partner of NPS and they came out and are conducting the investigation,” Trent said.
Trent said the items are related to the upcoming Juneteenth celebration. The museum plans a community day where it will open up the museum to visitors with a schedule of activities.
“So it really was Juneteenth-specific. It was the decor. It was some games and some other paper items, stickers, bingo cards, things like that. But everything is clearly identified as Juneteenth,” she added.
While law enforcement has yet to make a determination about the incident, Trent said, a hate crime is a very specific legal term that has very strong implications.
Trent said that “for us, this feels like a hate crime … the proximity of burning something near the oldest existing Black church building in the country is quite unnerving. And we also have to look at what history says,” she said.
The African Meeting House on Beacon Hill is the oldest existing Black church building in the country. It has been functioning since 1967, formerly incorporated in 1972 and founded by Sue Bailey Thurman. Next to it is the Abel Smith School, a public school built specifically for black students in 1835.
Open flames near or close proximity to the building could cause a devastating fire not just for the museum Trent said, but for the entire Beacon Hill community.
In 2018, the Nantucket campus of the Museum of African American History was spray-painted with racist words and graphic images.
GBH News reached out to the NPS Law enforcement which has yet to issue a comment on the incident. Trent museum staffers are currently looking through the video and contacting neighbors.
Trent said this incident comes as the federal government has cut grant money for the museum and made moves to restrict how Black history is taught and portrayed.
“It is fairly alarming for myself and my team. We take a lot of pride in the work that the team has done, especially in the last couple of years. We are dedicated to telling this story. And in the midst of the social climate where people are looking to invalidate and erase the story, we have come together to stand and continue to tell the story.”
Police are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying the individual pictured in connection with a vandalism incident that occurred at approximately 8:07 AM on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at the African American Meeting House located at 46 Joy Street in Boston.
Upon arrival, officers spoke with a staff member who reported that a package belonging to an employee had been torn open, with some of its contents scattered and burned alongside the building. The package contained items pertaining to Juneteenth.
The suspect is described as a white male, observed wearing a dark jacket, a light-colored shirt or sweatshirt underneath, dark pants, and white sneakers. The suspect appeared to be carrying a light-colored bag or package in one of the stills.
