Coram Man Indicted In Connection With Setting Fire To Neighbor's Home: DA
RIVERSIDE, NY — A Coram man has been indicted in connection with
Altariq Nixon, 43, of Coram, faces charges of second-and third-degree arson, as well as one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
He has been ordered held on $250,000, $500,000 bond, or $1 million partially secured bond during the pendency of the case, according to Tierney's office.
If convicted on the top count, Nixon faces up to 25 years in prison.
He defense attorney, Roger Rothman of Ronkonkoma, declined comment on the case.
Tierney said the fire was "a potentially deadly situation that could have led to a tragic outcome for the residents of this house."
He said he is "relieved, that despite the damage the occupants were unharmed," and that he is thankful to the first responders who acted "quickly to contain the fire and apprehend the person allegedly responsible."
On Nov. 13, at around 11:30 p.m., the homeowner of a Glenmere Lane home smelled smoke coming from his garage and fled to safety with his wife, and once outside, they watched their home become engulfed in flames, prosecutors said.
Suffolk police, as well as the Coram Fire Department, and multiple other fire departments responded to the scene, prosecutors said, adding that the fire was extinguished but the home sustained serious damage, according to prosecutors.
During an investigation by Arson Squad detectives, surveillance video was collected from the home showing Nixon approaching the side of the home and trying to start the fire for several minutes before eventually succeeding in igniting a pile of leaves and debris adjacent to the home, prosecutors said.
Nixon was spotted by a police officer 350 feet from the scene of the fire, outside another home, and he was found with a crack pipe and a lighter, and was placed under arrest, according to prosecutors.
He is due back in court on Jan. 6.
