Accused Capitol rioter from NY identified thanks to varsity jacket

An upstate New York man was charged Monday in connection with the US Capitol riot — after being identified thanks to his high school varsity jacket.

Brian Gundersen, 26, was spotted in footage broadcast on CNN wearing a jacket from Byram Hills High School in Armonk as he breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, a criminal complaint states.

He is now facing federal charges of knowingly entering and remaining on restricted grounds and disorderly conduct.

The FBI said it received several tips from the public about Gundersen being involved in the siege, including many images of him in his varsity gear.

A police chief in North Castle Township called the FBI on Jan. 12 to report that several people in the community had recognized the lettermen jacket in photos and videos.

The chief said he believed the rioter was Gundersen, who had played varsity football for the high school, wearing the number “70,” which appeared on the jacket’s sleeve.

A person with a close relationship to Gundersen described him to the FBI as “an avid supporter of former President Trump and a follower of commentator Nick Fuentes,” a far-right commentator, the court doc states.

The tipster said they had traveled from Pennsylvania to Washington DC with Gundersen on Jan. 5 but had gotten split up the next day.

Gunderson told the person that he was part of the siege and “that he walked around the halls but was never violent while inside the Capitol,” the complaint alleges.

The criminal complaint included a series of selfies Gundersen took with several conservative media personalities.
The criminal complaint included a series of selfies Gundersen took with several conservative media personalities.
U.S. District Court

In an interview with the FBI on Jan. 19, Gunderson first claimed not to have gone inside the Capitol — before admitting he had, while claiming “he was pushed into the building by the crowd.”

“Gunderson stated that he remained in the U.S. Capitol Building for about ten minutes,” the document says.

He consented to a search of his phone — and the FBI found a Jan. 5 text that said he and others “might be able to bum rush the [W]hite [H]ouse and take it over,” the complaint states.

The day after the riot, Gunderson allegedly shared a photo of congress members taking cover during the attack and wrote “Look at these scared little bitches” in a message.

“We all stormed the us capital [sic] and tried to take over the government,” he wrote on Jan. 8, according to the complaint.

“We failed but f–k it.”

source: nypost.com