Chicago: UIC Student Merlin Lu in Custody After Burning Cross in Grant Park as Anti-Trump Protest

A 21-year-old University of Illinois Chicago senior is in police custody after confessing to setting a cross on fire in Grant Park last week. Merlin Lu told NBC 5 Investigates that he built the cross himself and set it ablaze as a political protest against President Donald Trump and what he called MAGA Christian nationalist supporters.

Chicago police confirmed Tuesday that a person of interest is in custody in connection with the June 9 incident. It was not immediately clear if the person detained is Lu, who came forward to reporters on Monday. For several days, authorities said they were searching for only one person of interest.

A cross built by hand

Lu told reporter Chuck Goudie that he carried wooden slats from his Near West Side apartment to Grant Park on Tuesday afternoon. He assembled the cross there, placed a red baseball cap on top to represent a MAGA hat, wrapped the structure in lighter fluid-soaked toilet paper, and set it on fire.

Lu said he wanted to act alone. No organization. No friends.

"Just it came up to my head one day," Lu said. "I wanted to find something that I could do by myself, like no organization, no friends."

Video captured by motorist Keinika Carlton showed the cross engulfed in flames leaning against a tree. The footage spread online and drew national attention. Chicago police and the FBI launched an investigation. The Chicago Police Department labeled the incident arson.

The symbol and the intent

A burning cross is a century-old symbol of racism and hatred in America. It is widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan. Lu insisted his act was not racist.

"I did know about this historical relevance beforehand, but I didn't know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did," Lu told Goudie. "Cause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender."

Lu said he had never grown up with religion. He told Goudie he had only recently read a Wikipedia page about the history of burning crosses after the incident gained attention.

"No, for sure not. In no way possible was that a hate crime. I understand why it was interpreted that way, and I apologize for that, but no, the intent was not there," Lu said when asked if his act was a hate crime.

The FBI and Chicago police will determine what charges to file. Under Illinois hate crime law, prosecutors must show the criminal act was committed because of the actual or perceived protected status of a victim. Lu's stated motive was political, not racial. His comments about targeting MAGA Christian nationalist supporters could open the door to a charge tied to religion if prosecutors conclude the incident qualifies as hate-based.

Community reaction

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the act.

"That symbol of hatred is one that we must continue to reject and I wholeheartedly reject it," Johnson said. "I can't speak to anyone's motive, I can only speak to the impact, and the impact was devastating."

Rev. Michael Pfleger of the Faith Community of Saint Sabina announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Pfleger called the act premeditated.

"This was so premeditated. You made this cross somewhere. You carried it, you got it downtown. You put it in one of the most visible spots in Chicago and then you set it afire," Pfleger said. "This is a decades-old symbol of hate and supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan. This is their symbol."

Pfleger also noted that Grant Park is the site where Barack Obama delivered his acceptance speech in 2008 after becoming the nation's first Black president.

Who is Merlin Lu?

Lu is a Naperville native who graduated from Neuqua Valley High School in 2022. He is now a senior at University of Illinois Chicago. Previous video showed him playing tennis during his high school years.

Lu sent a scripted video to NBC 5 before his interview, claiming responsibility for the cross burning and apologizing to those offended. In the video, he criticized Trump.

"I don't want to wait till his term ends. I don't wanna wait until he may or may not get impeached. I want him gone right now," Lu said in the video.

When Goudie asked if that was a threat, Lu said no. He clarified he meant Trump should be held accountable by the American people.

Lu said his parents encouraged him to surrender and offered to provide an attorney. He said he declined.

What happens next

No charges have been filed as of Tuesday afternoon. The FBI and Chicago police are reviewing the case. A fiberglass heart installation with the word "Resilient" painted across the front now stands at the location where the cross burned. The art piece is part of a 2021 Parade of Hearts project by the LUV Institute.

Chicago police released surveillance images of the person of interest fleeing the scene. Lu matched those images in his confession to NBC 5.

Detectives in Area Three are investigating the bicyclist shooting in Grant Park that occurred early Tuesday morning. That is a separate case. A 27-year-old man was fatally shot while riding a bike in the 300 block of East Jackson Drive at approximately 12:15 a.m. He was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he later died.