A South Ozone Park man admitted he set fires to cars in his neighborhood and entered a home where he set a blaze that critically injured two of its occupants on the morning of July 4.
Evan Person, 35, of Linden Boulevard, was indicted by a Queens grand jury for multiple counts of arson, burglary, reckless endangerment, and other related crimes, including endangering the welfare of a child.
Person pleaded guilty before Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino on Nov. 14 to arson in the second degree in full satisfaction of the indictment, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Tuesday.
According to the charges and investigation, Person was seen on video surveillance at approximately 4 a.m. on July 4 in front of 105-20 Van Siclen St., lighting the bumper of a BMW sedan on fire, causing the bumper to melt. The bumper of a Toyota RAV4 parked behind the BMW melted due to the fire he set to the first car.
Person was then seen on video at approximately 4:12 a.m. entering the driveway of a home on 132nd Street in South Ozone Park. He was seen on video exiting the driveway at about 4:26 a.m.
Between the two times, a fire erupted in the basement laundry room of the home. Most of the home’s occupants, including two children, got out while a resident of the home called 911 at about 4:32 a.m. to report the fire. Two other occupants of the home were asleep in the basement at the time of the fire and were transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center with serious injuries.
At approximately 4:30 a.m., Person was seen on video entering a BMW on 132nd Street and removing a backpack. He then set the trunk of the car on fire.
Person was arrested by FDNY marshals following an investigation and apprehension by the NYPD Warrant Squad.
“This defendant is a serial arsonist who set fire to vehicles and an occupied home over the course of less than an hour in South Ozone Park,” Katz said. “The defendant’s reckless actions seriously injured two of the home’s occupants and they were hospitalized for more than a month after the incident. We thank our partners at the FDNY Fire Marshals for their collaboration on this case.”
Justice Cimino set sentencing for Jan. 6, 2025, at which time Person is expected to be sentenced to 15 years in prison.
“These reckless acts of arson endangered the lives of New Yorkers and FDNY members,” FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said. “Thanks to the excellent investigative work of our Fire Marshals and our close collaboration with the Queens District Attorney’s Office, this perpetrator will be behind bars for a long time. I want to commend everyone involved for their efforts to ensure this dangerous individual does not harm any more New Yorkers.”
