Bronx man arrested for murder in deadly 2018 apartment building fire

A Bronx man was charged with murder and arson in connection with a 2018 fire that left two people, including a 14-year-old boy, dead, police said.

Edward Garcia, 47, was nabbed Friday in the fatal blaze and was scheduled to be arraigned Saturday in Bronx Criminal Court.

The fatal fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on March 5, 2018, in a ground-floor apartment at 2381 Hoffman St. in The Bronx, leaving two second-floor residents — Jordan Conte, 14, and Roberto Archeval Cortez, 41, — dead, police said. The teen had been found in the bathtub.

An accelerant was found on the kitchen floor in the apartment where the fire began, which a police source said was frequented by drug users.

At the time of the horrific blaze, it was reported the fire spread rapidly because the first-floor residents left a door open, officials said.

“The apartment door was open, fire got out into the hallway and met our members right at the front door,” FDNY Assistant Chief Roger Sakowich said on Twitter at the time.

“The stairway was involved in the fire. We had several people trapped on the second floor that were removed by our members,” he added.

Firefighters plucked 10 people from the flames — including Conte and Cortez, officials said.

Share this article:

Source: Read Full Article