City police have arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly starting a fire at an East Rock apartment building that ultimately led to the displacement of 20 residents.
New Haven Police Department (NHPD) spokesperson Capt. Rose Dell announced that arrest in a Tuesday morning email press release.
The arrest stems from a fire on Friday night at the six-unit apartment building at 38 Bishop St., which is owned by an affiliate of Bethany-based landlord Jianchao Xu.
Dell wrote that city firefighters responded to the 38 Bishop St. fire on Friday.
“Upon arrival, the firefighters observed heavy smoke emanating from the second floor of the residence,” she wrote. “They located a fire in the basement and acted swiftly to extinguish the flames. No injuries occurred during the fire. The Red Cross provided aid to the 20 residents that were displaced from the home due to smoke and water damage.”
The @NewHavenFire Twitter account first Tweeted about the blaze at 7:30 p.m. Friday. “Fire location 38 Bishop st 2d fl. Box 802,” that Tweet read. “Reported as heavy smoke from the 2nd fl. Companies responding Eng 8, 10, 4 Tk 3, 1 Res 1 Soc 1 Eu 3 Car 33.”
In her Tuesday morning press release, Dell continued by writing that Officer Dennis Cole obtained surveillance footage that revealed the cause of the fire: “a male using a green lighter to ignite a crate filled with papers. He wore a grey hooded jacket, dark colored pants, white sneakers, and a black backpack with a Puma logo.”
While speaking with residents of the home, Cole spotted someone who fit that description, “watching the events unfold. He was dressed in the same clothing, carrying the black Puma backpack.”
Cole detained that suspect, searched him, and found a green lighter in his pants pocket.
While being detained, Dell wrote, the 22-year-old suspect “damaged the back seat of the police cruiser and destroyed the dash camera, causing over $1500 in damage.”
He’s been charged with first-degree arson, first-degree reckless endangerment, and first-degree criminal mischief.
totally possible that the other major fire that night on state street - which happened within a few hours on nearly the same block - was a coincidence - but i'm a little surprised this article doesn't mention whether or not it was related at all.