The Baltimore Police Department and the Baltimore City Fire Department's Fire Investigation Bureau are both investigating the remnants of a fire outside the Jewish Museum of Maryland.
The Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, Howard Libit, tells WMAR-2 News that the fire appears to have been set Sunday evening and was put out by the Fire Department.
The remnants of the fire were found by construction crews working on the museum on Monday, and museum staff first saw it Tuesday and alerted police.
The museum is currently closed for renovations.
Libit described security camera footage from the campus that has been since turned over to the police.
In it, he says, it appeared someone drove up, put something in front of the museum, lit it on fire outside the locked gates, and then drove away.
He added that he wasn't at liberty to share the security camera video, because it's been turned over to police.
Libit believes that it's being investigated as a potential hate crime, though BPD tells us that it's still early.
"Through the course of the investigation, officers will be able to determine if the incident will be investigated as a hate crime," says a police spokesperson. "Until then, the investigation is open and ongoing."
Meanwhile, the Baltimore City Fire Department says its Fire Investigation Bureau was deployed this morning at 10 a.m. to investigate the scene.
Baltimore's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive (ATF) is also assisting in the investigation.
