Jeannette man accused of setting April house fire
Jeannette police were looking for a city man who is accused of setting an abandoned North Third Street home on fire last month.
Jason Anthony John, 40, was charged this week with arson and related offenses in connection with the April 2 blaze after witnesses saw him near the home just before it went up in flames, police said.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Firefighters were called to North Third Street around 1 p.m. April 2 and found heavy fire in the back of the second floor that had moved into the attic. Witnesses reported seeing a white man wearing a black Pittsburgh Steelers jacket walking near the home just before the fire, according to court papers.
“A guy come walking up the street, had a brown bottle on his side … walked over here, sat down between the two houses,” neighbor Lenny Lewis told the Tribune-Review on Thursday.
Ten to 15 minutes later, “black smoke come rolling out of the back,” Lewis said.
The man was identified as John by a witness who was shown a picture of the suspect and a policeman who saw John in the area wearing the jacket.
The day after the fire, John told investigators during an interview that he was walking to his girlfriend’s house when he saw a cat run into the home and followed it, according to court papers. John told police he walked around the home looking for the feline and, while he was on the second floor, he “recklessly threw” a cigarette onto a mattress that was lying on the floor and then left, according to court papers.
The home has since been demolished through city funding, said Fire Chief Bill Frye. The structure had been the scene of two fires during the last six years or so. The property is owned by Emmanuel Tosado of Bronx, N.Y., according to county records.
A woman who answered the door at John’s address Thursday said he wasn’t there. A phone message left for him was not immediately returned. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Jeannette police at 724-527-4013.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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