A man accused of setting multiple fires in his Pennsylvania home in an apparent attempt to kill spiders was subsequently arrested in New York City after fleeing a hit-and-run crash.
The events began Monday evening in Pocono Pines, when Pocono Mountain Regional Police responded to flames at 36-year-old Sean McDermott’s townhome on Uncus Lane, Chief Chris Wagner told WPVI.
The fire quickly spread, damaging three neighboring units. Investigators say the blaze started inside McDermott’s townhouse after he reportedly lit small fires throughout the day, telling a friend and witnesses that he was trying to kill spiders inside the residence.
Police say McDermott, of East Moriches, New York, ignited a fire on the floor and then stacked a loveseat on top of it. Despite a friend’s repeated efforts to put out the flames, McDermott continued to relight them, the man told authorities.
Both men left the home at one point, only to return and find the structure fully engulfed in flames.
Volunteer firefighters battled the blaze for roughly eight hours amid freezing temperatures and icy conditions before finally bringing it under control, Wagner said.
After the fire, McDermott fled the scene in a U‑Haul truck, police said. Nearly 100 miles later, New York Police Department officers responded Wednesday night to a hit‑and‑run collision involving that truck in midtown Manhattan.
The man, later identified as McDermott, abandoned the truck and took off running, but was taken into custody.
At the time of McDermott’s arrest, NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit and bomb squad were called to the scene, and officers found nitrous oxide canisters, better known as laughing gas, and a liquid accelerant in the truck, Wagner said.
McDermott was charged in New York with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, unauthorized use of a vehicle, criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession or sale of noxious material.
He has four prior arrests in New York City, including an assault charge from 2019, WPVI reports.
After appearing before a judge in the city, McDermott is expected to be extradited to Pennsylvania to face additional charges, including arson, for the Pennsylvania fire.
