Police arrest suburban NY man in arson case

Published August 20, 2014 7:03am ET



CENTRAL ISLIP, New York (AP) — Suffolk County police have arrested a 35-year-old Long Island man and charged him with attempted arson for allegedly trying to set vehicles on fire in a parking lot.

Police say Alexander Rivera of Central Islip was seen pouring gasoline over three vehicles in a restaurant parking lot in Commack around 2:40 a.m. March 16. He fled after being seen by a witness.

Arson detectives arrested Rivera around 8 p.m. Tuesday and charged him with two counts of attempted arson. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Central Islip court on Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately known if he has a lawyer.