According to police, a Michigan man drove hundreds of miles to a perceived romantic rival’s home in Pennsylvania with the intention of setting fire to the family’s home.
Bensalem Police announced the arrest of Harrison Jones, 21, who had traveled approximately 740 miles from his home in Michigan “with murderous intentions.”
During a press conference with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office on February 17, the Bensalem Police Department stated that Jones drove his black Volkswagen from his home in Rockford, Michigan, to the Bensalem home of a man with whom his former girlfriend planned to meet.
Jones’ ex-girlfriend had reportedly been in an online relationship with the Bensalem man and was about to meet him in person for the first time. However, Jones went to the man’s house alone, allegedly set it on fire, and then drove 11 hours back to Michigan.
One of the home’s residents overheard one of the family dogs barking early on February 10. When she went downstairs to investigate, she allegedly saw a hooded figure and assumed it was her 22-year-old son, who lived in the house.
She returned to her bedroom but could still hear a disturbance downstairs. When she returned down a second time, she reportedly discovered her home in flames.
All six members of the family, including the woman’s elderly parents, escaped the house unscathed and were treated at a nearby hospital for burns and smoke inhalation. One person was treated for severe smoke inhalation and was hospitalized for two days.
Both of the family’s dogs died in the fire.
Police learned from the family’s statement that one of them planned to meet a woman from Michigan with whom he had been communicating online since 2023.
It was going to be their first meeting, and the family was reportedly told she was being driven from Michigan to a nearby hotel in Pennsylvania by a “good friend” named Harrison Jones.
Police said Jones was tracked using surveillance cameras from homes, one of which showed someone exiting a black Volkswagen on the same street as the targeted home.
At around 5 a.m., the person can be seen getting something out of the trunk and approaching the house. That person then returned to the car, turned off the engine, took something else out of it, and ran toward the house.
About ten minutes later, the individual returns to the car and drives away. According to an affidavit obtained by the Bucks County Courier Times, smoke can be seen on video approximately 30 seconds after the car has left.
Jones’ car was also tracked using traffic cameras and automatic license plate readers, which gave police information about who owned it. Jones allegedly drove a car registered to one of his family members, with whom he currently lives. Jones was also caught on camera at a Wawa location in Pennsylvania.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Department in Michigan then got involved in the investigation and obtained a warrant to search Jones’ home on February 13.
According to the affidavit, police discovered a medicated cream used to treat burns, gauze, and a lockpicking kit. They also discovered the same black Volkswagen in the home’s driveway.
When police questioned Jones’ father, he reportedly told them that he had installed a phone tracking app on his son’s iPhone, which showed his son was in Pennsylvania two hours after the fire began.
Police also conducted an interview with Jones. They discovered a fresh wound on his forearm, which police believed to be burns.
Jones allegedly denied having ever been to Pennsylvania.
Kent County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jones. He is currently awaiting extradition. Jones is charged with 13 felonies, including six counts of attempted criminal homicide, four counts of arson, risking catastrophe, and other offenses that have not been made public.
