Man charged after wearing varsity jacket during riot on Capitol Hill

A New York man was indicted Monday for his alleged role in the Capitol Riot, and the FBI has his varsity jacket to thank. Brian Gundersen, 26, was identified after several people recognized the jacket from photos of the Jan.6 riot and contacted the FBI, according to court documents filed Monday.

Photos and videos of the riot show a man wearing a varsity jacket from Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York, with a number on the left sleeve, according to a narrative accompanying the criminal complaint.

One of the first people to contact the FBI was the police chief of North Castle, New York, who said several people in the city recognized the jacket, the statement said. The chief would later have identified Gundersen as the man wearing the jacket.

When the FBI searched its advice database for Gundersen’s name, authorities found several tips that showed photos of Gundersen wearing the jacket on other occasions, including a photo with Tomi Lahren, the statement said.

A person close to Gundersen told the FBI he was “a staunch supporter of former President Trump,” the statement said. The person reportedly said the two had traveled together from Pennsylvania to Washington, but were separated on the day of the riot. The person said Gundersen later claimed he “walked the halls but was never violent inside the Capitol.”

When questioned by the FBI, Gundersen initially denied entering the Capitol building, but admitted he was the person wearing the Byram Hills varsity jacket, the statement said. In a later interview the same day, Gundersen allegedly admitted to entering the Capitol building, but said he was “pushed into the building by the crowd” and stayed there for about 10 minutes.

An FBI telephone scan revealed messages written by Gundersen on Jan. 5 indicating that he and others “may be able to rush the [W]hit [H]ouse and take it over, “the statement said. He is also accused of texting” Look at those scared little b ****** “alongside a photo of members of Congress taking cover during the attack and writing: “the American capital [sic] and attempted to seize power “in the days following the attack.

Phone records also showed that Gundersen performed a Google search for “Pelosi’s office” on Jan.6, the statement said.

On January 13, Gundersen reportedly sent someone a picture of him wearing the Byram Hills varsity jacket shown on CNN and said, “They might have found me.”

Gundersen faces charges including knowingly entering or staying in a restricted building, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and parading, protesting or picketing in Capitol buildings.

Clare Hymes contributed reporting