A man has been charged after police accused him of making an 11-hour each-way journey to torch the house of a man his ex-girlfriend had been speaking to online, almost killing a family of six.
According to authorities, Harrison Jones, from Rockford, Michigan, was enraged when he found out his ex-girlfriend had started speaking to a 21-year-old Pennsylvania man online.
Police say he crossed state lines to set fire to the man’s house in retaliation.
"He drove over 730 miles, 11 hours, to do what he did and then drove directly back home," said William McVey, Director of Public Safety for the Bensalem Township Police Department
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Things could have been a lot worse, as six people were inside the house at the time. Thankfully, the family dogs alerted those inside to the blaze and the family escaped, some of them having to leap out of second story windows. Tragically, the two family dogs both died in the flames. All six people in the home were taken to hospital with injuries.
Police said the fire ‘appeared to be intentionally set and incendiary in nature’, with home surveillance footage offering clues as to what might have happened.
Bensalem Police Department said in a statement: “Nearby home surveillance captured a black sedan as it passed the home on Merganser Way and stopped at the Mallard Drive intersection at 5:01 a.m.
“A subject exits the vehicle with an object and walks towards the residence. After approximately 15 minutes, the subject appears to run back to his waiting vehicle and departs the area on Mallard Drive towards Portside Drive.
“As the suspect vehicle fled the area, smoke could be seen billowing up from the rear yard of the home, and within 30 seconds, a large explosion was observed, and the house became engulfed in flames.
“The only lead in the case was a grainy image of a black sedan from a neighbor's surveillance system.”
Suspicions started to fall on Jones when police found out the vehicle had a Michigan registration plate and learned his ex was supposed to have met a 21-year-old resident at the property for the first time that week after they had been speaking online. They traced the Volkswagen Passat spotted at the scene back to his address.
Once they’d obtained a search warrant, police found a lock-picking device, and noticed that Jones appeared to have burns on his arms.
He’s since been charged with ‘six counts of Attempted Criminal Homicide, Arson, Risking Catastrophe, and related offenses’, and is waiting to be extradited to Pennsylvania.
"This is a family’s worst nightmare to be asleep in their home, not knowing that a stranger broke into their home, and attempted to take their lives by setting their home on fire," said Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn.
"This family suffered such inconceivable loss. This defendant’s actions are incomprehensible, and he will be held accountable."
In a statement to Fox 29, the family said: “This has been one of the darkest and most difficult times in our lives, however, the kindness and love we've received from so many around us has given us so much hope and inspiration.
“Trey and Jett were our two-family dogs, who will forever be missed. They both acted quickly and fearlessly [...] alerting us of the fire, ultimately saving our lives. It's because of them that we were all able to mobilize and get out of our house.”
You can donate to a fundraiser for the family here, and in honour of Tracy and Jett here.
LADbible has contacted the Bensalem Police Department for further comment.
Topics: Crime, True Crime, US News, Sex and Relationships
Simon Fearn