Man sets fire to house with 3 people inside after arguing with girlfriend, NJ cops say
A New Jersey man argued with his girlfriend before he’s accused of setting her house on fire — with three people inside, police said.
Leonard Jones IV, 50, was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 3, and charged with arson and domestic violence in connection to the early morning blaze, according to the South Brunswick Township Police Department.
Officers were called to the home in Monmouth Junction just before 3 a.m., police said in a news release. Someone at the home called police to make Jones leave after he got into an argument with his girlfriend.
Authorities got another call soon afterward saying the house was on fire, and officers arrived to find the roof engulfed in flames.
Four people, including Jones, made it out safely, police said.
Authorities didn’t say who else was at the home, which reportedly belongs to Jones’ girlfriend’s parents, according to NJ.com.
McClatchy News reached out to the South Brunswick Township Police Department for confirmation Thursday and was awaiting a response.
It took multiple community fire departments to put out the two-alarm blaze, police said. Photos posted by authorities showed how the fire ripped through much of the roof.
Jones was arrested and taken to the Middlesex County Correction Center, where he remained held on a $1,500 bond as of Sept. 5, online records show.
Monmouth Junction is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Trenton.
This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Man sets fire to house with 3 people inside after arguing with girlfriend, NJ cops say."