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A couple in Dauphin County was awoken when an arsonist set their porch on fire in spring 2020, according to Hummelstown police.
Police were called to the home at 41 North Walnut Street for a structure fire on May 8, 2020 at 3:51 a.m.
Police officers and firefighters arrived at the home to find the front porch ablaze.
The fire and efforts to put it out, left the home with “substantial damage to the structure,” police say.
The homeowners’ daughter, Jennifer Gates, has taken to social media to share the story in hope of locating the arsonist.
An accelerant was used, according to her posts.
On a personal note, she added that her parents had a difficult year, “2020 was a very difficult one for my parents beginning with the death of their son followed closely by this fire which displaced them from their home.”
Security video from a neighbor’s home shows someone walking eastbound on the south sidewalk of West Second Street at 3:34 a.m.
The person then crosses Walnut Street to the front sidewalk of 41 North Walnut Street and is blocked from camera view by the residence.
There is “a significant thermal flash from the front of 41 North Walnut Street (and) a person quickly walks from the sidewalk area directly in front of the address across North Walnut Street and west down West Second street,” according to a statement released by police on Friday.
Hummelstown Borough Police Department and Dauphin County Arson Investigation Unit continue to investigate.
Hummelstown Police are seeking information related to the arson and the identification of the suspect.
Dauphin County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case.
Anonymous tips can be submitted here.
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