Alleged arson fi re in knocks out 2 Morris Park stores
A fi re at the 1005 Morris Park Avenue that left four people with minor
injuries is the second on the commercial corridor since December.
Schneps Media / Photo by Patrick Rocchio
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
An arson fi re rocked a busy
commercial corridor.
A fi re in a second fl oor
apartment at 1003 and 1005
Morris Park Avenue on Thursday,
February 21 put two local
shops on the ground level temporarily
out of commission
and resulted in an arson arrest.
Ariel Santiago of 350 E.
143rd Street was arrested and
charged with arson, reckless
endangerment and criminal
mischief, stated a NYPD offi -
cial.
According to a document
shared with the Bronx Times
written by a source in the
FDNY, the arrest resulted after
an investigation by fi re
marshals disclosed that the
suspect allegedly poured
lighter fl uid on a sofa and ignited
it with papers lit by the
kitchen stove.
The blaze occurred in the
apartment above Luciano’s
Pizza and Kaizen Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu.
The fi re department was
called to the location at 12:57
a.m. on February 21, arriving
on the scene in three minutes
and 54 seconds, and bringing
the fi re under control by 1:28
a.m., according to the FDNY.
The ‘all hands’ fi re brought
12 responding units and 60
fi refi ghters to the location.
Minor injuries to four civilians
and one fi refi ghter were
reported.
BRONX TIMES R 18 EPORTER, MARCH 1-7, 2019 BTR
Al D’Angelo, Morris Park
Community Association president,
said he was relieved
that the FDNY was able to contain
the fi re to the second fl oor
apartment above the shops,
which suffered water damage.
D’Angelo expressed serious
concerns about the arson
allegation.
“This type of violence is
something that is foreign to
Morris Park,” said D’Angelo
of the alleged arson.
William Pedone, Morris
Park Business Improvement
District chairman, said that
the BID would be reaching out
to the impacted businesses.
“We will be reaching out
to them and offering any assistance
we can, maybe getting
them in touch with any
programs, including those
through the Department of
Small Business Services, who
may be able to help,” said Pedone.
A spokesman for Councilman
Mark Gjonaj said that the
offi ce is waiting for the investigation
to play itself out.
Before news of the arson
arrest, and before the councilman
left on an overseas trip,
Gjonaj spoke to the Bronx
Times about the fi re.
The councilman said that
he has teamed up with the
FDNY and the Red Cross to
provide fi re prevention assessment
surveys to his constituents.
Morris Park was the scene
of another fi re at the start of
the winter that temporarily
displaced another business.
An electrical fi re on December
23, 2018 at approximately
10 a.m., forced the Avenue
Cigar Lounge at 1074
Morris Park Avenue to temporarily
close, its owner said.
The cigar lounge, which
offers a complete line of imported
cigars, was a popular
meeting and after work place
for local people, said a cigar
store patron.
Owner Dominick Principato
said that he plans on
reopening, and is currently
waiting on insurance and is
looking for another possible
space in Morris Park.
Principato said that area
residents, whether they
smoked cigars or not, appreciated
the lounge because it
was open late most evenings,
and people felt the street was
safer.
Principato said that a
neighboring hair salon and an
adjoining apartment were impacted
by the pre-Christmas
Eve blaze.