arson firegeezer on 28 May 2008 10:49 am
Liquor Store Fire Doubly Suspicious
WHEN THE TOWNE AND COUNTRY LIQUOR STORE in New York’s Hudson River Valley burned down late Saturday night, fire and police responders were met with a strange tale.
Mid-Hudson News
The fire initially set off a monitored alarm and when a policeman arrived on the scene he found the free-standing store ablaze and the owner Frank Ricca was out front with his hands tied behind his back.
Ricca claimed that just before closing time two men entered the store and began looking around. While they were browsing, two more men came in and then the four of them pounced on Ricca, beat him senseless and tied him up. Next they plundered the cash register, stole some merchandise, and then poured a liquid on the floor and set it alight.
Ricca somehow was able to run outside screaming for help and was heard by the neighbors.
When the Lake Carmel Fire Dept. arrived on the scene the building was fully involved. After calling for mutual aid, the FD spent its resources on protecting exposed homes on either side of the store and were able to contain it.
Westchester Journal News
Investigators are digging into Ricca’s story while the search for the cause of the fire goes on. Some unverified mumblings around the neighborhood say that the store’s business had fallen off drastically lately when its lottery franchise was pulled. Also, the shelves were lightly stocked which indicates the possibility that he had been put on a C.O.D. policy by his vendors.
The Westchester Journal News has the latest REPORT.
RNN filed this video report:
