Harrison Jones allegedly set a fire at a Pennsylvania home with a family of six asleep inside, killing two dogs. Police say it’s where his ex’s new partner lived.
BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — A blaze that destroyed a Pennsylvania home and “nearly cost six people their lives” was set by a young man from Rockford, authorities say.
First responders learned of the fire at 5:22 a.m. on Feb. 10. When they arrived, the two-story home in Bensalem was engulfed in flames.
There was a family of six adults sleeping in the home at the time of the fire. The mother told police she woke up to strange noises inside the home. When she left her bedroom to investigate, she told police she saw someone walking down the stairs. She thought it was her adult son and went back to her room.
Investigators later determined it was likely the suspect.
The strange noises continued. At 5:17 a.m., she went downstairs to investigate. There, she discovered a fire spreading across the entire first floor of the house.
She quickly evacuated her family members. One had to jump out of a second-story window to escape.
Two dogs died in the flames. All six family members were sent to the hospital, suffering from smoke inhalation. Police say five were released from the hospital, while one still has serious injuries.
Fire investigators quickly learned the fire was intentionally set by some sort of incendiary.
Using nearby home surveillance, police saw footage of a black sedan park near the home and a person start walking toward it around 5:01 a.m. After four minutes, he walks back to the car, appears to retrieve something, then goes back toward the home.
Twelve minutes later, the person runs from the backyard of the home to the waiting sedan and leaves the neighborhood.
As the person runs away, footage shows smoke billowing from the backyard of the home. Within 30 seconds, there was a large explosion and the house became enveloped in flames, police say.
Detectives believe the person sat in their car, waiting for hours to strike. They say an accelerant was likely used with an explosion of that size.
Investigators used traffic cameras to track the sedan until it passed through an intersection with a license plate reader. That’s when detectives traced the Volkswagen Passat back to an address in Rockford, Michigan.
Police say a 22-year-old man, who lives in the Pennsylvania home, had been in an online relationship with a woman from Michigan since 2023. They planned to meet in person for the first time this week.
Investigators discovered that the woman’s ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Harrison Jones, resides at the same address as the Volkswagen Passat that was traced by authorities.
Police say the ex-girlfriend and Jones were friends, and she had spoken about her current relationship with Jones.
Pennsylvania police asked for assistance from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies got a search warrant for Jones’ home.
There, they seized the Volkswagen, lock-picking devices, a cell phone, a computer, burn cream, gauze and lidocaine.
Deputies noted that there were burns on Jones’ arm.
Jones denied that he was ever in Pennsylvania.
Police said they have surveillance footage of Jones at a Wawa gas station within one hour of Bensalem prior to the fire being set.
Jones is charged with six counts of attempted homicide, arson, risking catastrophe and other related offenses. In total, he’s facing 13 felonies and nine misdemeanors.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jones. He’s awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania.
“This is obviously a nightmare for anyone,” said Bensalem Township Director of Public Safety William McVey. “This family was extremely lucky to survive this. It is clear to us that Mr. Jones had murderous intentions.”
The Bensalem Township Police Department called Jones’ crimes “heinous” in a statement.
They commended their officers “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.”
The house is located at in the 5000 block of Merganser Way. Bensalem is a suburb located in Bucks County, which is on the northeastern border of Pennsylvania, touching New Jersey.
“It’s a miracle they all survived, and we credit the mother of that house for taking the action she did to protect her family and ensure that they all lived,” said McVey.