A Michigan man has been arrested after allegedly driving over 700 miles to set fire to a Pennsylvania home of a man who had communicated with his ex-girlfriend online.
Authorities from the Bensalem Police Department said that 21-year-old Harrison Jones from Rockford, Michigan, was apprehended for starting a fire at a home on February 10, which had six people inside.
The residents were hospitalized, and tragically, the family’s two dogs, Trey and Jett, did not survive the fire. The family members managed to escape, thanks to the mother of the household, who heard suspicious noises, discovered the fire, and quickly evacuated her family. Some members had to leap out of second-story windows to avoid the flames.
“It’s a miracle they all survived,” said Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey at a Monday press conference. “We credit the mother for her quick actions to protect her family and ensure their safety.”
Bensalem Fire Rescue and the Bensalem Police Detectives initiated an investigation, confirming that the fire appeared to have been intentionally set. They had only a blurry image of a black sedan from a neighbor’s security camera as their lead.
Video footage from the incident showed a vehicle pulling up to the house around 5 a.m. on February 10. The suspect is seen exiting the vehicle, walking towards the back of the house, and staying there for more than ten minutes. He then ran from the scene and sped away, followed by an explosion as the house erupted into flames.
Two days after the fire, investigators traced the vehicle back to Jones, and after obtaining an arrest warrant, they arrested him. Authorities also noted that Jones had burns on his arm.
It was confirmed that Jones is the ex-boyfriend of a Michigan woman who had been in an online relationship with a man living in the Bensalem home since 2023. The motive behind the fire is still under investigation.
Court documents revealed that Jones was originally supposed to drive his ex-girlfriend to meet the man in Bensalem at a local hotel. Instead, he drove there himself with “murderous intentions.”
“He drove over 730 miles, 11 hours, to do what he did, then drove straight back home,” McVey said.
Jones is facing six counts of attempted homicide, arson, and related charges. He is currently awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
According to a GoFundMe campaign, the family—identified as Andrew and Stacy Zalenski, their two children, Alex and Ava, and Stacy’s parents, Joe and Karen Wendowski—lost everything in the fire.
