(WPHL) – A Michigan man is in prison after driving more than 730 miles to Pennsylvania to set fire to a home where his ex-girlfriend's new love interest was living, police said Monday.
Police in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, said the suspect set fire to the home a little after 5 a.m. on Feb. 10. Law enforcement and fire officials responded to the house — which was "fully engulfed" — and located six adults who had evacuated, including one who jumped out of a second-story window to escape, Bensalem Police's Director of Public Safety William McVey said at the news conference Monday.
"At the time the fire started, all the residents in the house were sleeping. This is obviously a nightmare for anyone," McVey said.
McVey also said the home's residents were able to escape thanks to the actions of the "mother of that house," who investigated suspicious noises and discovered the fire before it spread to the whole home.
"It's a miracle they all survived, and we credit the mother of that house for taking the actions that she did to protect her family and ensure that they all lived," McVey said.
Detectives with the Bensalem Police identified a suspect — 21-year-old Harrison Jones — after studying surveillance footage of a 2021 black Volkswagen Passat that had arrived in the neighborhood a few hours before the fire began. The car also had Michigan plates, which were registered to Harrison's father, McVey said.
A little after 5 a.m. on Feb. 10, the suspect was seen getting out of the Volkswagen and walking toward the rear of the house. He returned to the car briefly and then went back to the rear of the house for another 12 minutes, police said.
At 5:18 a.m. he was then seen running from the home, getting in his car and taking off.
"Thirty seconds later, smoke is seen coming from the rear of the property and an explosion of fire," McVey said.
Working together with the Bensalem police, the Kent County Sheriff's Department in Michigan searched the home of the Volkswagen owner and learned that Jones was the sole driver of that car. At the house, they also found "lidocaine, burn cream" and gauze, which were presumably used to treat a recent burn.
Police also interviewed Jones, who was not forthcoming with information, and denied driving to Pennsylvania, McVey said. Bensalem Police, however, had said they located surveillance footage from a nearby Wawa, which placed Harrison within an hour of the scene of the crime.
Investigators said they later determined Jones was the ex-boyfriend of a Michigan woman who was currently in an online relationship with a 22-year-old man living in the Pennsylvania home. Jones' ex-girlfriend was supposed to come from Michigan to Bensalem to meet her love interest in person for the first time this week, police said.
Jones was arrested in Michigan and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania. He is being charged with six counts of attempted criminal homicide, as well as arson, risking catastrophe and related offenses.
The residents of the home were all treated at area hospitals for smoke inhalation, including one who suffered a more "serious" case. All have been released.
Two dogs inside the house, however, have died, McVey confirmed.
"This family was extremely lucky to survive this," McVey said. "It was clear to us that Mr. Jones had murderous intentions that evening."