Man Set At Least 18 Fires In Midtown Trash Cans, Feds Say

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A Brooklyn man has been arrested in connection with an arson spree in Midtown Manhattan, federal prosecutors said.

Jamal Deese, 24, is accused of lighting 16 trash can fires in Midtown restaurants and public spaces, federal prosecutors said. Deese was arrested Wednesday and has been charged with four counts of arson, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York announced.

"His alleged serial arsons threatened public safety and necessitated the deployment of valuable firefighting and law enforcement resources," U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement.

The arson spree lasted three days between Aug. 5 and Aug. 7, federal prosecutors said. Deese lit four of the fires in bathroom trashcans of Midtown restaurants and lit at least 14 fires in Penn Station restaurants, federal prosecutors said.

Deese was arrested when he was recognized returning to a restaurant where he set a fire, federal prosecutors said. The Brooklyn man is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of five years per arson count and a maximum sentence of 20 years per arson count, federal prosecutors said.

"The potential for serious injury or death was very real as Jamal Deese allegedly went on a spree across a swath of Midtown Manhattan. Fortunately, the collaborative efforts of our city and federal partners stopped him before further mayhem could occur," NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said in a statement.

Photo by NYPD