[LISTEN] Falconer Man Arrested in Connection to 12 Separate Arsons in Jamestown and Falconer

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown police have announced that a suspect is now in custody in connection to a string of recent arsons that took place on the city’s north side.

Jonathan Young

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings and other local officials held a news conference Wednesday afternoon, identifying 19 year-old Jonathan Young of Falconer as the suspect in a series of recent arsons in the area.

Young was arrested in Butler County, Pennsylvania on March 28 after being involved in an alleged arson incident there. Police say an investigation locally also connected him to 12 other arsons in the area, including the major fire in downtown Falconer on March 22, along with a string of arson incidents that took place bewteen March 23 and  March 25 on the Jamestown’s north side.

Chief Snellings said police believe that once a video was released to the public that purportedly showed Young leaving the scene of one of the arsons, he left the area and began moving south in to Pennsylvania.

Young is suspected of being responsible for the following arsons in the city of Jamestown and in Falconer:

• March 2 (12:45 a.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Occupied Apartment)
• March 2 (11:27 p.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Vacant Apartment)
• March 6 (8:18 p.m.) – 2840 Woodlawn Ave. Ext., Falconer (Abandoned Home)
• March 12 (12:58 p.m.) – 2840 Woodlawn Ave. Ext, Falconer (Abandoned Garage)
• March 22 (6:30 a.m.) – 441 Winsor St., Jamestown (Condemned House)
• March 22 (7:19 a.m.) – 29 to 39 W. Main St., Falconer ( Occupied Building)
• March 23 (6:14 p.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 24 (11:05 p.m.) – 650 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (12:21 a.m.) – 220 Crossman St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (1:04 a.m.) – 30 W. 11th St., Jamestown (Debris Pile near Home)
• March 25 (1:16 a.m.) – 22 W. 11th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (2:10 a.m.) – 33 W. 10th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)

No one was injured any of the fires.

(Fire crews work to contain a major fire on W. Main St. in the village of Falconer on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Andy Palermo, Jamestown, NY)

As a result of the investigation, Young has been charged with two counts of 2nd degree Arson, 9 counts of 3rd degree Arson, and 1 count of 5th degree arson. In addition to those charges, Young has also been charged in Pennsylvania in connection to the fire in Butler County last weekend, and is suspected of being involved in a string of burglaries that took place in Warren Co., Pennsylvania area.

Last week, police released a video that purportedly showed the suspect walking away from one of the arson scenes, shortly before the home caught fire. City police say they’ve also reviewed other evidence that shows the alleged suspect at or near the scene of other fires.

Young is currently being held in Pennsylvania on $75,000 bail. If he makes bail there, he would be extradited to Chautauqua County to be arraigned and formally charged.

Snellings also said that the police are continuing to investigate other arsons in the area, including one that took place on Tuesday morning on Charles St.

Anyone with information on Tuesday morning’s arson, or any of the other arsons from earlier this year, is asked to call JPD’s Anonymous Tip Line at 483-TIPS (8477), or they can leave a tip on the Tips 411 App.