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The incident took place in Middlesex County around 10:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18 at 500 Washington St., in Middletown.
When police arrived, a woman came out of the trailer and told officers that 55-year-old Eugene Boudreau, poured gasoline on her and inside the trailer in an effort to light them on fire, said the Middletown Police.
The woman was safely removed from the area and evaluated by ambulance personnel, but ultimately refused treatment.
Officers attempted to contact Boudreau and have him come out of the trailer but Boudreau declined to come out.
Police established a perimeter of the property and evacuated nearby residents. Negotiators responded and maintained contact with Boudreau while Middletown Fire personnel and Hunters Ambulance staged in the area.
A Middletown Police Department drone was deployed to monitor the situation from a distance due to concerns that Boudreau was armed or that his trailer’s propane tank could be a hazard if ignited, police said.
Police said negotiations with Boudreau remained unsuccessful and he lit the trailer on fire. Within a few minutes of the fire starting, Boudreau came out.
Police attempted to negotiate his surrender from a safe distance. Boudreau turned himself over to perimeter officers but only after his trailer was fully engulfed in flames and a neighboring trailer was beginning to catch fire.
Once Boudreau was detained, Middletown firefighters entered the scene and extinguished the fire without incident or injury. Boudreau’s actions led to the destruction of his trailer, an adjacent trailer, and two motor vehicles nearby, police said.
Boudreau suffered burns on his body. He was transported to Middlesex Hospital and airlifted to Bridgeport Hospital’s burn unit where he is in stable condition.
Middletown Police Fire investigators responded and the case remains an active criminal investigation.
Anyone with information pertaining to this event is encouraged to contact Sgt. Daniel Smith of the Middletown Police Special Investigations Unit at 860-638-4131.
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