The rage of unrequited love is what led a Michigan man to set fire to a Bensalem home last week in which two dogs were killed, a family of six left homeless, and now a 21-year-old man potentially facing decades in prison once he is formally charged by Bucks County authorities.
Bensalem Police announced on Monday morning that an arrest warrant was issued for Harrison Frederick Jones of Rockford, Michigan on six counts of attempted murder, six arson related felonies, six counts of reckless endangerment and a related offense for setting a fire to a Merganser Way home last week.
According to Bensalem Police the investigation led authorities to conclude the blaze was intentionally set.
The orange-red glow of last week’s early morning blaze coloring the Bensalem Sky. Credit: Stephen Leonard
Nearby home surveillance captured a black sedan as it passed the home on Merganser Way and stopped at the Mallard Drive intersection at 5:01 a.m. Jones allegedly exited the vehicle with an object and walked towards the residence. After approximately 15 minutes, he appeared to run back to his waiting vehicle and departed the area on Mallard Drive driving towards Portside Drive, police said.
As the suspect’s vehicle fled the area, smoke could be seen billowing up from the rear yard of the home, and within 30 seconds, a large explosion was observed, and the house became engulfed in flames. The only lead in the case was a grainy image of a black sedan from a neighbor’s surveillance system, said Bensalem authorities in Monday’s press release.
The fire captured by a drone from above Merganser Way by officials. Credit: Bensalem Police
Detectives utilized township intersection cameras to identify and track the vehicle entering and exiting the township, officials said. While in Bensalem, the suspect’s vehicle passed through an intersection with installed Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR). Detectives found that the 2021 black Volkswagen Passat had a Michigan registration. The vehicle came back to Brian Jones of Rockford, Michigan. An additional search of various ALPRs across the state allowed detectives to track the vehicle traveling towards Bensalem before the fire. It also tracked the vehicle back towards Michigan after the fire had been set, authorities said.
Detectives interviewed residents of the Merganser Way home. They discovered that a 21-year-old male resident had an online relationship with a female in Michigan. She was supposed to come to Bensalem to meet in person for the first time this week. The ex-boyfriend of the Michigan woman was identified as Jones who lives at the same address as the Volkswagen Passat owner, officials said.
Credit: The aftermath of the alleged fire set by Harrison Jones now charged by Bensalem police. Credit: Bensalem Police
Bensalem Detectives contacted the Kent County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan and requested assistance with the investigation. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for Harrison Jones’s residence and seized the 2021 Volkswagen Passat, lock-picking devices, cell phone, and computer. When the Kent County Sheriff’s Office made contact with him, he also had what appeared to be burns on his arm.
Credit: Stephen Leonardo
“The Bensalem Township Police Department would like to thank the Kent County Michigan Sheriff’s Department for deploying numerous resources and manpower to identify, interview, and arrest Jones for these heinous acts,” Bensalem authorities said.
“We would also like to thank Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn and Deputy District Attorney AJ Garabedian for their assistance. We would especially like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Bensalem Township Police Officers, Fire Investigators, and Bensalem Detectives who took a grainy image of a vehicle and turned it into the arrest of a suspect who traveled over 700 miles and 11+ hours each way to commit crimes that nearly cost six people their lives,” they added.
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