PITTSBURGH, PA — Pittsburgh police arrested a 36-year-old man Tuesday after investigators said he was linked to several small fires and an incident involving a lit sparkler thrown beneath a police vehicle.
Police were first dispatched at about 7:30 a.m. to Reedsdale Street on the North Side following reports of a suspicious man walking with an open flame, according to a City of Pittsburgh Public Safety release.
Fire Investigation Unit detectives were then called after a man was reportedly seen lighting the side of a trash can near the casino. Investigators also found burned traffic cones along Reedsdale Street, the city said.
A short time later, police said a man outside the Downtown Public Safety Center threw a lit sparkler beneath a police vehicle on Wood Street. Officers took Jeffrey Rotunda into custody on Stanwix Street at Boulevard of the Allies while he was allegedly lighting cardboard on fire.
Rotunda faces multiple charges, including arson and criminal mischief, and was transported to the Allegheny County Jail, according to the release. The charges are allegations, and the accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Official source: City of Pittsburgh Public Safety — Police Arrest Male For Lighting Fires on North Side and Downtown
Photo: A Pittsburgh police vehicle shown in a representative file photo. Piotrus/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
The Pittsburgh Times
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Pittsburgh, PA
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