Long Island Woman Sets Mattress On Fire With 8 People Inside Group Home: Police

LOCUST VALLEY, NY — A woman admitted to setting a mattress on fire inside of a Locust Valley group home for people with disabilities while eight people were inside, Nassau police said.

Officers responded to a 911 call for a fire at a home on First Street, where a mattress was on fire and the Locust Valley Fire Department responded to extinguish the flames, according to police.
Lauren Gach, a 32-year-old resident of the home, admitted to starting the fire and was arrested without further incident, police said.

At the time of the fire, there were six residents and two staff members inside the home, but no injuries were reported at scene, according to police.

The residents have been displaced and relocated to another facility, police said.

Gach has been charged with second-degree arson, a felony, and five counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, both felonies, and two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.

She is scheduled for arraignment on Friday at First District Court in Hempstead.