A 21-year-old Michigan man named Harrison Jones was arrested after allegedly setting fire to a home in Pennsylvania. According to officials, one of the home's residents was in a relationship with Jones's ex-girlfriend. He drove more than 700 to Bensalem to carry out the alleged arson. Six people survived the incident, but their two dogs were unable to escape the fire and died.
Videos by Wide Open Country
According to the New York Post, footage captured by a neighbor's surveillance camera showed a black sedan pulling up to the Bensalem house on February 10, around 5 a.m. A suspect, allegedly Jones, exited the vehicle and walked toward the back of the home. Minutes later, the suspect leaves, followed by an explosion, prompting the house to be engulfed in flames.
Thankfully, all six people inside were able to escape safely from the home engulfed in flames. The mother Stacy Zalenski, heard some strange noises at the time. This led to her promptly discovering the fire and ended up with all family members being evacuated. These included her husband, Andrew Zalenski, their two children, Alex and Ava, and Stacy's parents, Joe And Karen Wendowski.
"It's a miracle they all survived," William McVey, Bensalem Public Safety Director said during a press conference. "And we credit the mother of that house for taking the actions she did to protect her family and ensure that they all lived."
Unfortunately, the Zalenski family dogs, Trey and Jett, who, according to a statement shared by the family with FOX 29, alerted Stacy, didn't make it out of the fire.
Suspect Arrested
On February 12, police arrested Harrison Jones after connecting him with the incident. He had burns in his arms. Officials would then discover that Jones was the ex-boyfriend of a Michigan woman who is now in an online relationship with one of the Zelenski family members. According to court documents, Jones drove to the Zelenski home with "murderous intentions."
In the statement shared with FOX 29, the Zalenki family expressed their gratitude to the first responders, officials, and the many community members, family, and friends who have been supporting them since.
"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," they said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help them recover financially. They also unveiled that Stacy has been battling cancer for the past three years.
"The Zalenski family has been through so much within the past 3 years, with Stacy fighting a long, hard battle with cancer to now losing their home," the description reads. "They are a gracious, loving, caring, generous family, and nobody deserves to go through everything that they have been through."
Harrison Jones was charged with six counts of attempted homicide, arson, and other related offenses. The New York Post reports that he is awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania.
