By Dan Murphy
In the days following the attack on the Capitol in Washington DC on Jan. 6, several Westchester residents identified a Byram Hills High School jacket among those attacking Capitol Police and forcing their way into the halls of Congress.
Calls were made to the FBI, who had been seeking information. Brian Gundersen, 26, a 2012 graduate of BHHS, was idenfitied as a person of interest based on the #70 that was on the jacket in Washington was the same number that he played football with.
According to an FBI report, “On or about January 12, 2021, a police chief in North Castle, called the New York Operations Center (NYOC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stating that he had information related to the Capitol Building breach and riot. The police chief informed the FBI that the Superintendent of Byram Hills High School in Armonk, and multiple individuals of the community near Byram Hills High School, had determined that an individual at the riot was wearing a Byram Hills jacket.
This determination was based upon photographs and videos of an individual appearing at the entrance to the Capitol Building.
Later that day, the police chief called the FBI again and stated the individual was believed to be Brian Gundersen. On January 18, 2021, FBI personnel requested a Digital Media review on Brian Gundersen.That review includes a search through the database that the FBI maintains on the many tips that the FBI has received from the public about the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. That search returned a number of tips related to Gundersen.
On or about January 19, 2021, FBI Special Agents interviewed a witness with a close personal relationship with Gundersen, who advised that Gundersen was an avid supporter of former President Trump and a follower of commentator Nick Fuentes.
The witness told agents that on the evening of January 5, 2021, he and Gundersen departed Pennsylvania for Washington D.C. to attend a January 6, 2021 rally for President Trump. The two became separated on the morning of January 6, 2021, due to logistical issues. Later that day, a second witness said that he was contacted by Gundersen who told him that he was in the Capitol building.
That night, the first witness met with Gundersen to return to PA, and was told by Gundersen that he had been in a large group by the Capitol Building steps. That group was disarming police officers of their riot shields, and Gundersen told the witness that when everyone else stormed into the Capitol Building, he followed everyone inside. Gundersen said that he walked around the halls but was never violent while inside the Capitol.
Gundersen sat down with FBI agents the day before President Biden was inaugurated. He initially claimed that he had never been to the US Capitol but later admitted he was there, claiming that he was pushed into the building by the mob. He agreed to the discovery of his phone, which gave a message in which he mentioned a photo covering members of Congress during the attack on the Capitol, which is “petrified.”
In a message sent two days after the attack, Gundersen acknowledged his role in the attack. He wrote, (incoherent message with cursing that included “We tried to take over the government, and “They may have found me.)
Gundersen, according to court documents, told the FBI that he was pushed into the Capitol building by the crowd and that he was inside the building for about 10 minutes.
Gundersen faces charges of:
1- Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted grounds without lawful authority;
2-Knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions,
3-Engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds;
4-Engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct on the Capitol buildings or grounds;
5- Parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol buildings.
Gundersen’s father, and many in Armonk and the Town of North Castle, were both disappointed and embarrased by Brian’s behavior. The father told News 12 that, “politics is his religion. He is too into it.” Gundersen is in his mother’s custody in Pennsylvania.
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