Tag Archives: arson

Minneapolis’s CBS affiliate reports: A Brooklyn Center man faces federal charges after he lit his own camper on fire to make it look like a politically-motivated crime, and then allegedly filed several fraudulent insurance claims. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Denis Vladmirovich Molla, 29, is charged with two counts of wire fraud in connection with the fire that took place …

Baltimore’s CBS News affiliate reports: A Wednesday morning fire in Baltimore that put three people in the hospital is being investigated as a possible hate crime, authorities told WJZ. Based on a preliminary investigation, authorities believe someone set fire to at least one Pride flag outside a row home in the 300 block of E. 31st Street and the flames …

Boston’s ABC News affiliate reports: A Massachusetts man is facing multiple charges as he stands accused of intentionally setting a fire at the Satanic Temple in Salem. Salem police said 42-year-old Daniel Damien Lucey, of Chelsea, was arrested late Friday night after a fire was reported at the temple on Bridge Street. According to police, they received numerous 911 calls …

The Associated Press reports: Vandals struck an anti-abortion group office, where a fire broke out and a Molotov cocktail was found, authorities said Sunday. Madison police spokeswoman Stephanie Fryer told the Wisconsin State Journal that the fire reported shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday at the Wisconsin Family Action office in Madison was suspicious in nature. He said someone also spray-painted …

From the Justice Department: A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging John Lhota with the April 3, 2022 arson of Rash, a bar and nightclub in Bushwick frequented by members of the LGBTQ+ community. Lhota was arrested yesterday and will make his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann. Breon …

NBC New York reports: A Brooklyn bar that was quickly becoming a mainstay for the LGBTQ+ community after being in business for just a few months is now closed after police said someone used a canister of gasoline to set it on fire. Everything inside Bushwick’s Rash Bar was left unrecognizable and torched, after it took just 30 seconds to …

The Associated Press reports: Always remember to tip your server, if you know what’s good for you. A tourist made a big impression in a Key West bar by ordering drinks three times on New Year’s Eve without leaving a tip. That enabled the staff to easily track him down after police released webcam video showing vandals setting fire to …

Knoxville’s ABC News affiliate reports: Investigators with the Knoxville Fire Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), have determined that the fire at the Planned Parenthood in Knoxville was purposely set. The KFD says the individual or individuals who started the fire have not been identified yet. The fire took place on Dec. 31 at around 6:39 …

Reuters reports: A fire at the South African parliament caused extensive damage on Sunday, collapsing the roof and gutting an entire floor in one building and a man in his 50s was arrested in connection with the blaze. The fire broke out in the early morning and authorities said the sprinkler system appeared to have been tampered with and so …

The Miami Herald reports: In the early hours of New Year’s Day, two people vandalized Key West’s famous Southernmost Point buoy landmark by setting a fire right beside it. The blaze left a large part of the colorful giant buoy — right where it reads “90 miles to Cuba, Southernmost Point, Continental U.S.A.” — charred. There was “extensive damage” to …

New York City’s ABC News affiliate reports: A large Christmas tree outside Fox’s Midtown headquarters was set ablaze by an arsonist who was quickly taken into custody. The 50-foot tree on Sixth Avenue went up in flames just before 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. Heavy flames then spread to smaller decorated trees in the display. A 49-year-old man spotted by building security …

The Associated Press reports: A former college professor was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday for allegedly starting four wildfires in Northern California earlier this year that threatened to trap firefighters as they battled a massive fire nearby, federal prosecutors said. Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count …

Austin’s NBC News affiliate reports: The Austin Fire Department Arson Investigators and the FBI announced an arrest in an incident involving a person who tried to vandalize and start a fire at the Travis County Democratic Party Headquarters earlier this week. On Friday, AFD identified the man as Ryan Faircloth, 30. An arrest warrant released on Friday for Faircloth said …

The Berkshire Eagle reports: Last month, a year in jail sounded like too much to Lonnie Durfee, the man who set fire last fall to a Dalton farm’s campaign endorsement, a crime covered around the world. On Thursday, he accepted it. Durfee, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of burning personal property during a Central Berkshire District Court hearing, accepting …

Arizona Central reports: Phoenix police have arrested Matthew Egler, a Democratic activist who party officials say has had a long and troubled history with the Maricopa County Party over the years, for the fire that destroyed Arizona Democratic Party’s headquarters last week. After a nearly weeklong investigation, Phoenix police on Wednesday identified Egler, 29, of Peoria, in connection with the …

The Associated Press reports: A fire that destroyed the Arizona and Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters was an act of arson, authorities said. Investigators were gathering surveillance video from nearby buildings after combing the wreckage and concluding the fire was human-caused, authorities said. Nobody was hurt. Police Sgt. Mercedes Fortune declined to reveal what evidence convinced investigators the blaze was …

The Des Moines Register reports: An Ames man was sentenced Wednesday to about 16 years in prison after he set fire to a church LGBTQ flag in June. Adolfo Martinez, 30, of Ames, last month was found guilty of a hate crime — a class “D” felony — third-degree harassment and reckless use of fire. Police said he stole a …

The Ames Tribune reports: The Ames man accused of tearing down a pride banner from Ames United Church of Christ and setting it on fire was found guilty by a jury Wednesday morning. Adolfo Martinez, 30, was found guilty of a hate crime, third-degree harassment, reckless use of fire and habitual offender, Story County Attorney Jessica Reynolds said. The habitual …

The Associated Press report: A man screaming “You die!” burst into an animation production studio in Kyoto, Japan, and set it on fire Thursday, authorities said, leaving 33 people confirmed or presumed dead, shocking anime fans in and outside Japan. Most of the dead and the 36 injured were workers at Kyoto Animation, known for mega-hit stories featuring high school …

The Associated Press reports: The white man suspected in the burnings of three African American churches in Louisiana will remain in jail, denied bond Monday by a judge, as state prosecutors added new charges declaring the arsons a hate crime. Twenty-one-year-old Holden Matthews, the son of a sheriff’s deputy, entered his not guilty plea via video conference from the St. …