GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan man accused of driving to the Philadelphia area to set a house on fire last week will soon be taken back there to face attempted murder charges.
Court records show Harrison Jones, who was initially jailed in Kent County, agreed to waive extradition in Michigan. That clears the way for him to be taken to Pennsylvania to be charged with a slew of criminal counts, including attempted homicide, various arson charges, risking catastrophe, criminal mischief by fire and reckless endangerment.
“He took real dangerous actions that night that almost killed this entire family,” Bensalem Township Public Safety Director William McVey told News 8 Wednesday. “This is an unusual crime for anyone. Arson in particular is not a prevalent crime, but to light an occupied structure is very rare.”
The fire happened around 5:20 a.m. Feb. 10 at a house in Bensalem Township, just north of Philadelphia. Police say six people were inside at the time. Court documents say a woman in the house heard something suspicious and then saw a man in her house. She initially thought it was her son, but police say it was Jones. When she went downstairs, she saw fire in the kitchen and living room. She started getting her family out of the house. All six people escaped, but two dogs were killed and the home was destroyed.
“The 22-year-old resident in Bensalem was in an online relationship with a female in Michigan, who was the ex-girlfriend of Mr. Jones,” McVey said of the apparent motive.
The Michigan woman told News 8 she never actually dated Jones, despite what he told police. She previously applied for a personal protection order against him, which she said was denied.
Police say they have video that shows a car with a Michigan license plate parking near the home, a man getting out and approaching the house with "an object" in his hand.
”He’s then seen running from the rear of the property ... and flees the scene. Within 30 seconds of that, there’s a total explosion of fire from the back of the house," McVey said.
Police tracked the car's plates to Jones' father's Rockford, Michigan, address.
“So he traveled from Michigan 730 miles to Bensalem, torches a house and travels directly back to Michigan that morning,” McVey said.
When Jones was arrested, police say, he had burn marks on his arm. In his home, they found a cream for treating burns and gauze. They say they also found a lock-picking kit.
When interviewed, Jones denied being in Pennsylvania before the fire, court documents show.
But in addition to the video from the fire scene, police say they have intersection camera video and license plate reader information tracking the car going to and from Bensalem, and video of Jones in a Pennsylvania convenience store around 1:30 a.m. before the fire. Jones' dad also an app that tracks his son's phone showed it was in Pennsylvania after the fire, police say.
Online records showed that Jones, 21, was booked in to the Kent County jail Feb. 12 and remained held there without bond as of Wednesday morning. It was unclear exactly when he would be taken to Pennsylvania, though documents filed Feb. 14 requested he be picked up within 15 days. The court records show Jones does not face any charges in Kent County.
In a statement provided to News 8 Wednesday, the Bensalem family thanked the emergency responders to rushed to the fire, praising their "dedication and bravery."
"It is by the grace of God and the help of all those individuals that we made it out of our home safely and survived," the statement said.
The family said it was overwhelmed by how much support they have received from their community.
"This has been one of the darkest and most difficult times in our lives, however, the kindness and love we've received from so many around us has given us so much hope and inspiration. The messages, donations, and pure kindness have lifted us up when we've needed it most," the statement said.
A GoFundMe account has been created to support the family in Bensalem. A fundraiser for a Philadelphia animal shelter has also been launched in memory of the two dogs killed in the fire, Trey and Jett. Its goal was $600, but it had raised about $2,500 as of Wednesday afternoon.