Michigan Man Allegedly Drove To Pennsylvania To Set Fire To Home Of Ex-Girlfriend’s New Boyfriend

A Michigan man is facing charges in Pennsylvania for allegedly driving more than 700 miles to set fire to the home of his ex-girlfriend’s new love interest, endangering the six people who escaped the house fire, police said.

The Bensalem Police Department said officers and firefighters responded to a report of a house fire at around 5:22 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 10. Six adult residents had managed to escape from the fire, “some of whom had to jump out of second-story windows,” police said.

Investigators determined the fire was arson, and a neighbor’s surveillance video provided only a “grainy” image of a suspect arriving in a black sedan, entering the house for several minutes, then running back to the sedan and fleeing. They used nearby traffic cameras, including one equipped with a license plate reader, which revealed the 2021 black Volkswagen Passat had a Michigan registration.

After interviewing the residents who escaped the fire, detectives learned that a 21-year-old man who lived at the home had struck up an online relationship with a Michigan woman, who was supposed to visit Bensalem to meet him in person for the first time that week. They learned that the woman’s ex-boyfriend lived at the same address to which the Volkswagen was registered.

Detectives requested assistance from Kent County Sheriffs Office in Michigan, which executed a search warrant at the residence of suspect Harrison Jones. They seized the 2021 Volkswagen Passat, lock-picking devices, cell phone, and computer. When deputies made contact with Jones, he allegedly had burns on his arm.

Bensalem police the secured an arrest warrant for Jones on charges including six counts of attempted criminal homicide, arson, risking catastrophe, and other offenses. He was arrested in Michigan and was awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.

“We would especially like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Bensalem Township Police Officers, Fire Investigators, and Bensalem Detectives who took a grainy image of a vehicle and turned it into the arrest of a suspect who traveled over 700 miles and 11+ hours each way to commit crimes that nearly cost six people their lives,” police said in a statement.