ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Bridgeton, Missouri, man is accused of starting a fire inside a local Target store this past June.
According to the Bridgeton Police Department’s probable cause statement, the incident took place on June 22 at the Target store on St. Charles Rock Road in the northeast corner of the Interstate 70/270 interchange.
Police said Theodore J. Ryan (age not provided) walked to the seasonal goods section in the store and began stacking merchandise in a pile. Ryan allegedly took a propane tank and lit the items on fire.
Firefighters and police responded and evacuated the store. No injuries were reported.
Police said the incident was recorded on store surveillance video.
Ryan was taken into custody on July 2.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Ryan with one count of first-degree arson. Ryan will be jailed on a $75,000 cash-only bond.
