Suspect Charged With Murder, Arson For Bronx Apartment Fire That Killed 2 In 2018
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Police say they've arrested a man suspected of setting a fire that killed two people at an apartment building in the Bronx in 2018.
Edward Garcia, 47, was charged Friday with murder and arson, police said. He is being held at Rikers Island pending a May 13 court date.
Information on Garcia's arraignment and bail was not immediately available. Online court records did not list a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. Police listed his address as a Randall's Island homeless shelter.
Jordan Conde, 14, and Roberto Archeval Cortez, 41, were killed in the March 5, 2018 fire at a five-story apartment building on Hoffman Street in the Belmont section.
Nine other people were injured, including several firefighters, officials said.
The fire started around 1:30 a.m. in a first-floor apartment. People in that apartment left the door open as they fled, allowing the fire to spread and smoke to quickly fill the building, officials said.
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