Youth Charged in Salisbury Arson

WICOMICO COUNTY, MD – Deputy State Fire Marshals have charged a 17-year-old male youth with arson-related charges after determining he was responsible for intentionally setting two vehicles on fire in Salisbury over the last several weeks.

The first incident initially occurred at 1:03 a.m. on July 15, 2020. The vehicle was located in the driveway at 511 Elberta Avenue. The second incident occurred at 515 Loblolly Lane on July 21, 2020, at 4:03 a.m. Firefighters responded from Salisbury Fire Department and quickly extinguished each of the blazes. Investigators determined that a person had intentionally ignited the exterior of each of the vehicles, causing nearly $5,000 damage to each. No injuries were reported in either fire.

The incidents occurred within a block of each other and placed the quiet neighborhood just outside Salisbury University on edge. During the course of their investigation, Deputy State Fire Marshals determined the teenager was responsible for igniting each of the fires. He has been charged with two counts of 2nd Degree Arson and two counts of 1st Degree Malicious Burning.

The juvenile was released to the custody of his parents pending actions by the Department of Juvenile Services.

“This is an excellent example of investigators working hard to prevent the continued victimization of our residents in our local community,” said State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci. “I am proud of the work of our Deputy State Fire Marshals to close both of these investigations promptly and put the neighborhood at ease”.

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~ MD State Fire Marshal