A 55-year-old homeless man has been arrested on suspicion of igniting a four-alarm fire over the weekend in a Bronx high-rise, which resulted in one fatality. Samuel Calderon has been charged with several offenses, including murder and manslaughter, in connection with the fire that claimed the life of Ronald McAllister, aged 60, who lived in the Boston Secor House complex.
According to police, Calderon allegedly dismantled a stove in the apartment, leading to a gas leak that ultimately caused the devastating blaze. McAllister was pronounced dead at the scene.
It remains unknown if Calderon had any prior connection with McAllister or a 37-year-old man who is currently hospitalized in critical condition after the fire devastated the top floor of the Bivona Street complex.
Officials are also trying to determine how Calderon managed to access the apartment. After initially fleeing the scene, he was arrested on Wednesday when officers found him inside the building, apparently picking up mail.
Calderon has a long criminal history, with over 25 arrests since 1987, including a recent charge for violating a protection order during a domestic incident in November 2025.
Interestingly, neither the victim of the fire nor the injured individual was connected to this most recent domestic case. Notably, Calderon’s last felony arrest happened in March 2022 for a robbery in the Bronx, and he had also faced robbery charges in Brooklyn back in 2008.
Emergency response teams, totaling more than 230 personnel across 75 buildings, rushed to combat the fire, and five additional individuals were hospitalized, though stable, as temperatures in New York City dipped into the low teens. FDNY Commissioner Lilian Bonsignore acknowledged the challenges posed by the extremely cold conditions during the incident and praised the efforts of first responders.
