A US Navy vet turned-firefighter has been arrested and charged with starting four fires in the very community he serves, with the alleged rouge returning moments later to put them out, police said.
Andrew Bischof, 21, who joined Pennsylvania’s Arnold Fire Department last week, was suspended on Thursday after he was taken into custody over a string of four suspicious fires that broke out over the weekend, KDKA reports.
Three of the fires were set ablaze at abandoned buildings in Arnold, with a fourth fire started at an occupied home while the residents were away. The fires all occurred less than half-a-mile away from each other.
A firefighter was also injured putting out one of the fires when the rear deck of a home collapsed, officials said.
“We recognize the level of public trust that the community places with the fire department and we take that trust seriously,” the Arnold Fire Department said in a statement. “We will not tolerate these actions.
“We will continue to work with local and state law enforcement to ensure justice is served,” the department added.
Bischof was arrested after police reviewed surveillance footage that captured him near the scene of each fire driving in a black Ford Escape.
The accused arsonist was then seen returning to two of the locations along with the Arnold Engine Co. #2 to help extinguish the flames, Pennsylvania State Police said.
The Arnold Fire Department noted that Bischof didn’t have a criminal record when they conducted a background check on him prior to joining their company last week.
Bischof was a member of a the Citizens Volunteer Fire Company #1 before he went on to join the US Navy for four years. Records show he was honorably discharged, the Arnold Fire Department said.
New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr., whose company responded to one of the fires allegedly started by Bischof, said he was disappointed to learn that a new recruit was believed to be behind the blazes.
“It hurts because we rely on volunteers to perform a job and a duty,” Saliba told TRIBLive. “We try our best to recruit youths, and when something like this happens, it’s a very big black eye. It’s a punch in the face to the service as a whole.”
Bischof was booked at the Westmoreland County Jail and charged with arson, aggravated arson, causing or risking catastrophe, criminal mischief, burglary and criminal trespass.