Is St. Joseph Church's fire connected to 2 nearby vandalism incidents on the same night?

Phoenix police and fire officials were offering few new details on Thursday about an investigation into a fire that destroyed St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church early Wednesday, but two nearby vandalism incidents occurring the same night are being investigated for possible connections.

Phoenix Fire Department, the lead investigation agency in the fire, confirmed investigators are looking to see if the three incidents are connected. 

One official for a school damaged near St. Joseph's told The Arizona Republic that federal investigators along with Phoenix police were at the school on Wednesday morning and confirming they were looking at possible connections to the fire.

Phoenix police confirmed Wednesday that the two nearby vandalism incidents were being investigated, noting that in a press release that also talked about the fire investigation. They stopped short of saying all were connected, and deferred to Phoenix fire investigators.

Phoenix police and fire officials, while confirming arson investigators are involved in the church fire investigation, said the cause has not been determined.

MORE: As their church lay in smoldering ruins, parishioners gather for Mass

On Thursday, officials with Emmanuel Presbyterian Church and neighboring Gateway Academy told The Republic both had been broken into, badly vandalized, and burglarized. 

"We walked into our school yesterday morning and all of the lockers had been left open and all the contents had been dumped onto the floor," said Robin Sweet, the executive director and CEO of Gateway Academy. "The lower school classroom window had been shattered and the gate door had been propped open."

Sweet said after calling Phoenix police, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI also showed up to investigate. 

"We called the police and they came out and they were very quiet at first and then they said, 'You know, your next-door neighbors have also been vandalized,'" Sweet said, referring to the Presbyterian church.

Sweet said investigators from the Department of Homeland Security also arrived to investigate, apparently looking for fingerprints and possible footprints that might match any found at the other locations. 

Neither DHS or the FBI confirmed any federal involvement in the investigation when contacted by The Arizona Republic Thursday.

Jill McCabe, a spokeswoman with the FBI, said, "If information comes to light of a potential federal nexus or violation, the FBI is prepared to assist or investigate."

McCabe added, "We are aware of the incidents. We regularly work with our state, local, federal and tribal law enforcement partners."

A DHS official said the agency would not confirm or deny any involvement in ongoing federal investigations. 

The Rev. Jennifer Fraser, a pastor at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, also detailed the vandalism at her church.

"Somebody broke into our fellowship on Tuesday night, broke into a window, opened and door, got in, ransacked a cabinet, and smashed a TV set, then sprayed fire extinguishers all over the place," Fraser said. "We feel, actually, pretty lucky in light of the other things that have happened, with the church catching on fire."

At Gateway Academy, a school for children with high-functioning autism, the students' unlocked lockers were raided and the contents were stolen. 

"It appears that they stole headphones from our students' lockers, all of the students at Gateway have high functioning autism, so it’s a really vulnerable population," Sweet said. "It was really horrible and disheartening to think that somebody would come in and destroy a school — and then we felt like jerks because next door and St. Joseph were far worse than anything that happened here."

Sweet added: "It's saddening that people would go after really vulnerable buildings and what they stand for. We're all trying to do something positive and good for the greater good, and to be threatened and vandalized is horrific.''

Efforts to raise funds for St. Joseph gained some traction Thursday when the Knights of Columbus pledged aid to the parish community.

“The Knights will help in any way we can,” said Tom Kalisz, a state deputy with the Knights. “We are in communication with the pastor, the Rev. Reggie Carreon, and once the extent of damage is assessed and the immediate and long-term needs are determined, we will get to work.”

On St. Joseph's website, officials have added a PayPal link for those who would like to donate and a statement:

"In times such as this, we know our faith will carry us through this difficult time. Please pray for our parish community and our pastor, Father Reggie. In our strength, we will move toward our 50th Anniversary as a beacon of hope and love. Please consider a donation to help us rebuild our church."

Future plans to rebuild the church have not yet been announced.