Pennsylvania arson was set by a romantic rival who lived 700 miles away: Police
Published 19 Feb 2025
LEVITTOWN, Pa. — A 21-year-old Michigan man is accused of driving more than 700 miles to intentionally set fire to the home of another man who had an online relationship with his ex-girlfriend, authorities said.
The Bensalem Township Police Department confirmed Monday that Harrison Frederick Jones, of Rockford, Michigan, had been charged with 13 felonies including six counts of felony attempted homicide, four counts of arson and related misdemeanors. Police alleged that Jones set fire to a home in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, during the early hours of Feb. 10 — just days before Valentine's Day.
Authorities alleged that Jones drove over 700 miles from his Michigan home to Pennsylvania, not out of love, but possibly jealousy. When he arrived at the home of the perceived romantic rival, police said he set it on fire, sending six people to the hospital, killing two family dogs and leaving the two-story home uninhabitable.
Three days later, sheriffs in Grand Rapids, Michigan, took Jones into custody after finding evidence that he set the fire. He remains incarcerated there without bond awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
Bensalem police and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office announced the charges against Jones during a news conference Monday, where authorities showed surveillance video of the home exploding into flames. The footage was used to help identify Jones as a suspect.
Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn called the video images chilling.
"This is a family's worst nightmare to be asleep in their home, not knowing a stranger broke into their home and attempted to take their lives by setting their home on fire," Schorn said. "This defendant's actions are incomprehensible."