Authorities believe an upstate New York firefighter set fire to his own home, which featured a "Blue Lives Matter" flag flying in front of it.
The state police alleges that Jason Stokes, 41, lit up his Endicott residence in the early morning of Aug. 10 of this year.
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Firefighters responded to the blaze at about 2:30 a.m. The four family members who were in the home, including Stokes, escaped without injuries.
Stokes, who worked as a firefighter with the Endicott Fire Department since March 2005, was charged with second-degree arson.
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After the fire, a relative told WBNG that the family was being targeted because of the "Blue Lives Matter" flag. A message reading "lie with pigs, fry like bacon" was found at the home, according to the station.
However, Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell told WBNG that Jason Stokes was the one who wrote the message.
Stokes faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, according to the Press & Sun-Bulletin of Binghamton.
Questions about the fire's origin prompted village police to bring in fire investigators to examine the site, according to Endicott Police Chief Patrick Garey. Police have not disclosed what prompted investigators to label the fire as suspicious.
Evidence taken from the scene — police would not disclose what it was — was analyzed as part of the investigation
People are trash.
Dummy.
