Salem House Fire Victim ID’d As Jan. 6 Insurrectionist

SALEM, NH — A Salem man who was convicted of charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., has been identified as the person seriously injured in a Salem fire on Wednesday.

Firefighters responded to 34 Lake St. Wednesday for a report of a fire in a residence. When they arrived, they found a man with serious injuries sustained in the fire. He was transported to Lawrence General Hospital and then moved to a Boston hospital due to the severe burns and injuries.

Richard Zachary Ackerman, 22, was sentenced to 24 months of supervised release with 10 months of home detention by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly earlier this year. He previously pleaded guilty to a felony offense of civil disorder and a misdemeanor offense of theft of government property, according to court documents.

Sources indicated Ackerman was living in a basement area of the Salem home, which online records indicated was owned by his father. Ackerman was on a monitoring device and was serving his 10-month home confinement sentence.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Ackerman traveled to Washington, D.C., from New Hampshire and sent a text message that read, “Will be going to see the action in these riots/protests” and “[i]f I get shot down there, just remember that I thought highly of you.”
Ackerman arrived in Washington, D.C., and soon made his way to the Washington Monument and then the U.S. Capitol building. Ackerman walked to the Northwest Plaza of Capitol grounds, where he picked up and put on a United States Capitol Police officer helmet, labeled “U.S. CAPITOL POLICE” in large white lettering. From here, Ackerman made his way to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th.

Ackerman joined a large crowd of rioters near the tunnel entrance and saw others fighting with police and felt the effects of OC spray. At one point, Ackerman picked up a water bottle and threw it at officers in the tunnel.

Court documents said Ackerman traveled back to New Hampshire on the morning of Jan. 7, 2021, and texted an individual that he “got maced really bad,” and that he “was right there, in the eye of it,” and that he “was right in the doorway of the building.” Ackerman also sent a message he “stole a SWAT Team officer's helmet,” which he referred to as a “war trophy.” Specifically, he wrote, “I was there yesterday…& the helmet is my war trophy from the SWAT team.”

The helmet was later recovered at his New Hampshire home, allegedly hidden inside a chimney. The FBI arrested Ackerman on June 20, 2023, in New Hampshire.

Salem Fire requested the New Hampshire Fire Marshal’s Office to respond to the scene due to the serious injuries. Investigators from the Fire Marshal’s Office are working with Salem Fire and Police departments to determine the cause and origin of the fire.

At this time, Ackerman’s condition is not known, as additional information becomes available Patch will provide updates.

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news