A Michigan man has been arrested for allegedly driving over 700 miles to Pennsylvania to set fire to a home because the owner had spoken to his ex-girlfriend online.
Harrison Jones, 21, from Rockford, Michigan, is accused of starting a fire at a house in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, while six people were inside. Thankfully, all six family members escaped but were hospitalized for injuries. Sadly, their two dogs did not survive.
According to officials, the mother of the household heard strange noises before discovering the fire. She quickly woke up her family and got them out of the house. Some members had to jump from second-story windows to escape the flames.
“It’s a miracle they all survived,” said Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey during a press conference. “The mother’s quick actions saved her family.”
Firefighters and police investigated the scene and confirmed that the fire was intentionally set. The only clue at first was a blurry image of a black sedan from a neighbor’s security camera. The footage showed a car arriving around 5 a.m. A man got out, walked to the back of the house, stayed for more than ten minutes, then ran back to the car and sped away.
Police traced the car back to Jones and issued a warrant for his arrest. He was later taken into custody.
Court documents revealed that Jones was originally supposed to drive his ex-girlfriend to meet the Pennsylvania man at a hotel in Bensalem. However, instead of taking her, he allegedly went on his own with the intent to harm.
“He drove over 730 miles, spent 11 hours on the road, committed this crime, and then drove straight back home,” McVey said.
Jones now faces serious charges, including six counts of attempted homicide, arson, and other related offenses. He is currently awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the victims, identified as Andrew and Stacy Zalenski, their children Alex and Ava, and Stacy’s parents, Joe and Karen Wendowski. The fundraiser states that the family lost everything in the fire on February 10, 2025.
