Suffolk County Volunteer Firefighter Arrested, Accused of Starting Wildfires in Medford, Long Island, New York

MEDFORD, Long Island– A volunteer firefighter was arrested for allegedly starting a forest fire in New York.

Firefighter Jonathan Quiles “intentionally” started a fire in a wooded area on Mount Vernon Avenue, damaging a nearby 2004 Chevrolet, police said.

The fire burned in an area of ​​Twelve Pines Park in Suffolk County on Tuesday afternoon. The fire brigade arrived on site on Wednesday morning to extinguish the hotspots.

It was one of several wildfires in Suffolk County on Wednesday.

It was revealed in court that four witnesses saw the suspect kicking and throwing cotton balls at 3.23pm, which he said he set on fire. And fifteen minutes later, another witness saw him setting cotton balls on fire behind a residential area.

Quiles is charged with arson and reckless endangerment. The Suffolk District Attorney’s Office says the charges are not eligible for bail.

“Unfortunately, under New York’s ‘Bail Reform,’ deliberately setting fires amid dangerously dry conditions and a statewide ban on burns are not bail-eligible offenses, meaning my prosecutors don’t even care can apply for bail for these charges. Our lawmakers in New York need this. to get their act together and bring common sense solutions to a broken bail system,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.

The Medford Fire Department said they “conduct arson background checks before admitting members and there was no knowledge to suspect that this individual may have had the propensity to intentionally set a fire.”

They said Quiles has been suspended and will be fired if convicted.

The department said “the incident is being actively investigated by the Suffolk County PD Arson Squad.”

At least one of the victims had sought an order of protection, namely the owner of a 2004 Chevrolet parked nearby that also caught fire.