Queens Supermarket Owner Charged With Setting Rival Shop On Fire

SOUTH OZONE PARK, QUEENS — A Queens supermarket owner stands accused of setting a rival store on fire after complaining that its low prices were hurting his business.

Prosecutors charged Ozone Park resident Mamunar Khan, 59, with setting fire to Premium Supermarket in East New York on Feb. 3, 2019.

Surveillance video shows Khan wheeling a shopping cart down an aisle of the supermarket then using a lighter to set fire to the cart's contents, prosecutors said. Another surveillance camera recorded Khan driving away as the fire spread through the supermarket.

A witness told investigators that Khan had complained that low prices at Premium Supermarket, located at 1196 Liberty Ave., were hurting his own supermarket, Deshi Bazaar in nearby Ozone Park.

“As alleged in the indictment, Khan set fire to a supermarket while it was open for business, demonstrating total disregard for the safety of employees, customers and the firefighters who responded to the blaze,” U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said in a statement.

If convicted, Khan faces five to 20 years in prison.