Man Pleads Guilty To Setting 6-Alarm Fire That Injured 3 In Manhattan, Prosecutors Say

HARLEM, NY — A Manhattan man has pleaded guilty to intentionally setting a fire that tore through a Hamilton Heights apartment building, injuring three firefighters and leaving more than 35 families without homes, prosecutors said.

Alvin Bragg said Tuesday that 41-year-old Jelani Parker pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to one count of second-degree arson.

Under the plea agreement, Parker is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 13, to 12 years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, Bragg said.

The fire broke out on Nov. 17, 2017, inside an apartment building at 565 W. 144th St., Bragg said.

According to court records, Parker — who lived in the building with his parents — entered the building carrying a red gas can, took the elevator to the top floor and poured gasoline inside a sixth-floor apartment before igniting it, Bragg said.

Surveillance video later showed Parker leaving the smoke-filled apartment and exiting the building shortly before the flames spread to other floors, prosecutors said.

The blaze escalated into a six-alarm fire, drawing more than 200 FDNY firefighters to the scene. Three firefighters were injured while battling the flames, and dozens of residents were forced from their homes.

"This act of arson not only threatened Parker’s neighbors, but those in the surrounding area," Bragg said in a statement.

After the fire, Parker fled New York, traveling first to North Carolina and then to California. He was eventually apprehended and returned to New York to face charges. "Fire poses a major hazard to our densely populated city and this act of arson not only threatened Parker’s neighbors, but those in the surrounding area."

Parker was convicted of second-degree arson, a class B felony, Bragg said.

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