THOSE WERE THE WORDS OF NEW CASTLE (PENNSYLVANIA) FIRE CHIEF Thomas Maciarello as he announced to arrests of an arson ring that has plagued the town for two years. There have been more than 13o set fires in vacant buildings in the city since mid-2007 and the citizens have been on edge for the past year.
WTAE-TV
WTAE-TV Pittsburgh reports:
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives became involved in the investigation about six weeks ago and played a role with New Castle authorities in breaking the case.
“They partnered very well with New Castle police, teamed up with their lead detective and conducted scores of interviews, analyzed the evidence and were integral in helping to obtain confessions from some of these folks,” said Jim Tanda, supervisor of the ATF’s Pittsburgh office.
While no serious injuries were ever reported, the city has been forced to pay overtime to firefighters and spend money to demolish some of the damaged buildings.
The intense investigation led to the arrests of six adults and two juveniles who are all incarcerated today. The police chief said that they usually worked in small groups of two to four people.
WTAE-TV also filed this video report:
The Beaver County Times tells:
Back in August, a woman on Oak Street was up late one night and heard the sound of broken glass from a neighboring home. She called 911, which brought police to a home that was targeted for arson. This time though, police headed off the arson and apprehended three suspects.
Those arrests were the first step toward the arrests Tuesday of eight people suspected of setting 12 of the 34 confirmed arsons.
Sansone said police are continuing to investigate the fires, adding that some of those charged Tuesday may face additional charges and other people will probably be charged as well.
There is no indication yet as to what the motive was for this string of crimes. High bails have been set on all eight of the suspects and none of them have been able to meet the bail.
Also on FireGeezer…
- Woonsocket Arson Arrests – December 28, 2009
- 3 UK Teens Arrested for Fire Death – November 9, 2009
- Restaurant Torched by Competitor – October 21, 2009
- Serial Arsonist Suspected in Western Massachusetts – December 27, 2009
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