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20-Year-Old Set Fire To Pharmacy In Capital Region Over Pickup Policy, Police Say

A 20-year-old man is facing arson charges after allegedly setting fire to a pharmacy in the region.

Matthew Shufelt-Sumner, age 20, was charged with arson after allegedly setting fire to a Watervliet Walgreens, located on 2nd Avenue, on Monday, April 3.

Matthew Shufelt-Sumner, age 20, was charged with arson after allegedly setting fire to a Watervliet Walgreens, located on 2nd Avenue, on Monday, April 3.

Photo Credit: Watervliet Police Department/Google Maps street view

In Albany County, the Watervliet Police Department was called on Monday, April 3, with reports of a dumpster fire in the parking lot of Walgreens, located on 2nd Avenue near 19th Street.

The fire eventually spread toward the building’s gas line before it was extinguished, according to Watervliet Police. At the time of the incident, the store was open with employees and customers inside.

“The Watervliet Fire Department’s quick response was essential to containing the fire to the exterior of the building,” police said in a statement.

Investigators determined that Matthew Shufelt-Sumner, of Watervliet, intentionally started the fire after getting upset over the pharmacy’s policy prohibiting employees from releasing a package to him, police said.

When officers located Shufelt-Sumner at his home, he tried running away but was quickly arrested, according to police. 

He’s charged with one count of second-degree arson, a felony.

Following his arraignment in Watervliet City Court, a judge ordered him held at the Albany County jail on $20,000 bail.

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