20-Year-Old Volunteer Firefighter Accused Of Setting Long Island Blaze

A volunteer firefighter from Long Island is facing charges after allegedly setting a brush fire.

Mount Vernon Avenue in Medford (marked in red).
Photo Credit: *Google Maps*

11/13/2024 10:10 a.m.

Suffolk County Police said Jonathan Quiles, age 20, intentionally set the fire in a wooded area on Mount Vernon Avenue in Medford at about 3:35 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

The blaze also damaged a 2004 Chevrolet parked nearby.

Following an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Arson Section, detectives arrested Quiles, a resident of Medford. He faces charges of:

Arson in the fourth degree
Arson in the fifth degree
Reckless endangerment in the second degree

Quiles is scheduled for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

In a statement, Suffolk County DA Raymond A. Tierney said: "Unfortunately, under New York’s 'Bail Reform,' intentionally setting fires in the midst of the dangerously dry conditions and a statewide burn ban are not bail eligible offenses, meaning my prosecutors cannot even ask for bail on these charges.

"Our New York lawmakers need to get their act together and pass common sense fixes to a broken bail system."

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