ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Hazelwood man has been charged with setting fire to a home in his neighborhood early Tuesday morning.
According to the Hazelwood Police Department’s probable cause statement, Joshua Thomas, 28, was captured on Ring surveillance video setting fire to an object around 1:15 a.m. and placing it next to the house with two victims inside.
Police said the surveillance video caught Thomas in the act as the victims were asleep.
According to the police, the fire climbed to the roof and damaged the majority of the house. The fire continued to spread, blowing the garage door off and damaging two vehicles in the garage.
The victims woke up after hearing their smoke alarms and the loud bang from the garage door blowing off, police said. They were able to escape out of the back door with their dog.
Neighbors helped police identify Thomas as a person familiar to the area. The police went to Thomas’ home to speak with him.
Police found Thomas in the same clothing and wearing a distinct red mask seen in the Ring camera footage. Police said Thomas admitted to being in the area and riding a scooter up and down the victim’s street.
According to the probable cause statement, Thomas said the victims were strangers to him and caught their house on fire at random.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Thomas with first-degree arson. Thomas is in custody at the St. Louis County Justice Center and is being held on a $150,000 cash-only bond.
