A 37-year-old Connecticut man allegedly used a Molotov cocktail to start a fire at an ambulance facility and was also connected to other arson fires targeting Emergency Medical Services agencies in the state on Saturday, the Old Saybrook Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
The Torrington, Connecticut, man fled the state and was taken into custody Saturday night in Pennsylvania, according to the Facebook post. He is being charged with second-degree arson and second-degree burglary, authorities said.
Roxbury Fire Chief Todd Wheeler told CNN affiliate WFSB they got a call about an automatic alarm at the firehouse around 5:45 p.m. ET on Saturday. Smoke was coming out of the ambulance bay by the time Wheeler arrived at the firehouse, WFSB reported.
“We got the fire trucks out and then we pulled the ambulance out with one of the fire trucks, because there was a heavy smoke condition in that bay, got the ambulance away from the building,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler didn’t report any injuries to WSFB.
The suspect is expected to be extradited and has a bond of $ 150,000 under the arrest warrant that was issued, the release from the fire department said. It’s unclear whether the man has an attorney.
“This individual has targeted those who we count on to save lives,” said Old Saybrook Police Chief Michael Spera in the release. “Our Officers have worked diligently all evening obtaining both search and arrest warrants in an effort to quickly stop these violent attacks against public safety and cause the suspect to be taken into custody.”
Old Saybrook police directed CNN to the fire department’s Facebook post when reached for comment.
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