A Peekskill man was arrested Monday for allegedly starting a fire at a city gas station late last month. Police arrested Edward Gary, 52, of Peekskill at 10:40 p.m. at police headquarters and charged him with fourth-degree arson, a class E felony, in connection with the May 31 fire at the Wirlie Cafe, part of a Getty gas station located at 980 Washington Street. We had several matches recklessly disposed of in the vicinity of the structure that caught fire and did quite a bit of of damage to the structure, said police spokesman Lt. Eric Johansen. Was his intent to create a fire to burn down the building? I dont believe so but the actions were reckless to say the least.
Gary is accused of carelessly disposing of several lit matches into a pile of rubbish on the gas station property at approximately 6:40 p.m., igniting a fire that caused several thousand dollars worth of damage before being extinguished by the city fire department, Johansen said. Its important to note that all three matches were lit when they were disposed of, Johansen said. Where he disposed of them was also right near the propane cylinders, so it really could have been a tragedy. The incident was captured on video surveillance system the business had installed, which helped Police Officer James Knapp and Police Detective John Bennett identify Gary as the suspect. Gary was released on his own recognizance and is due to appear in Peekskill City Court on June 20.
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