The Michigan man was arrested after police said he drove over 700 miles to set fire to the man's house he had communicated online with his ex-girlfriend.
The Bensalem Police Department said 21-year-old Harrison Jones of Rockford, Michigan, was arrested for setting a fire in a home with six inside.
The people inside were hospitalized, but the two dogs from the family, Trey and Jett, were unable to escape from the house and died.
Authorities are able to escape thanks to moms who heard the suspicious noise before people in the house find the fire and evacuate their families, and some families can escape from two-storey windows to escape the flames. He added that he had to jump out.
“It's a miracle that they all survived,” Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVay said at a press conference Monday morning. “And we believe the mother of the house took what she did to protect her family and ensure that they are all alive.”
Detectives from Bensalem Fire Rescue and Bensalem Police began investigating the cause of the fire and determined that the fire was “deliberately set and inherently incitement.”
Officials said the only lead in the incident was the rough image of the black sedan from the neighbour's surveillance system.
The video was filmed a vehicle pulling home around 5am that morning. The suspect is seen leaving the vehicle and walking towards the back of the house. There, authorities say he stayed for more than 10 minutes.
After about 30 seconds, the video shows an explosion as the house gets burned.
Two days after the fire, investigators returned the vehicle to Jones, obtained an arrest warrant, and were able to detain him.
Investigators added that Jones also had obvious burns on his arm.
Officials confirmed that Jones is the ex-boyfriend of a Michigan woman who has been in an online relationship with a male resident in her Benthalem home since 2023. However, the motives for the fire are still under investigation.
Court documents obtained by Fox 29 Philadelphia Jones said he was supposed to drive his ex-girlfriend in Benthalem in the near future to meet the man she was communicating with in Benthalem. Instead, investigators say he drove himself to Benthalem with “intention to murder.”
“He drove 730 miles, over 11 hours, did what he did and then came back straight to his house,” McVey said at a press conference.
Officials said Jones has been charged with six counts of attempted murder, arson and related crimes. He is currently waiting for his extradition to Pennsylvania.
According to the Gofundme page, the family was identified as “Andrew and Stacy Zalenski and their two children, Alex and Ava, Stacy's parents, Joe and Karen Wendowski, who lost everything.”
“Our family is currently having a terrible time in life. If you have animals, you're going to be part of your family and they mean everything to this family. I know what you are saying.” The post reads.
“Stacy tried to do everything she could to save them. Her life risked returning to a burning house, but she felt she was unconscious, so she was upstairs. I had to jump out of the window.”
The family who created the GoFundMe page added that the Zalenski family “had experienced a lot within the last three years, Stacey has now lost her home after a long, fierce battle with cancer.”
“They are elegant, loving, caring, generous families, and no one deserves to go through everything they have gone through. It's difficult enough to deal with cancer and Stacey, and she We lost our lives many times, lost our beloved dogs, precious memories, and what they owned and worked so hard over the years.”
“This was the worst nightmare for a family sleeping at home without knowing that a stranger had broken into their home, and they tried to burn their homes and take their lives,” Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer said. -Shaun told FOX 29.
“This family suffered such an unthinkable loss. He is liable for this defendant's actions.”
In addition to the GoFundMe, the family launched a fundraiser with the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Association to honor their memories. A Paws spokesperson told Fox 29 that they plan to create plaques to dedicate one of their kennels to Trey and Jett for heroism.
