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Sean Gahagan, 56, is charged with arson, risking catastrophe, burglary, and related counts, prosecutors said in a release.
Investigators said Gahagan stopped by his former employer, JG Transmissions at 616 Davisville Road, on the morning of Dec. 29 looking for work. He was turned away and left the shop, authorities said.
Around 8:45 p.m. that night, firefighters were called to JG Transmissions and found the building "engulfed in flames," the DA's Office said. The building was completely destroyed in the blaze.
About fifteen minutes before that, police in Lower Moreland were dispatched to a fire at a shed on a residential property on Huntingdon Pike, the release says. Officers were able to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher before the shed was seriously damaged, authorities said.
Investigations said that both fires were set intentionally. A can of "fire-starting fluid" and a can of gum cutter — a highly flammable automotive cleaner used at JG Transmissions — were both found in the shed, the release says.
Police said Gahagan was driving a red Chevrolet Cobalt when he stopped by JG Transmissions that morning. Surveillance video captured just before both fires showed a "Cobalt-type vehicle" nearby which license plate readers later confirmed was Gahagan's, according to authorities.
He was arrested on Jan. 1 for allegedly trespassing in a Lebanon City church, the DA's Office said.
At his arraignment last Friday, Jan. 19, Magisterial District Judge Denise Ashe set Gahagan's bail at $500,000, court records show. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 29.
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