A City of Tonawanda man has been arraigned in connection with a string of arsons Monday night in the cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda.Christopher Syracuse, 26, was charged in North Tonawanda City Court Wednesday morning with ten counts of arson and five counts of criminal mischief.
North Tonawanda Police Chief William Hall says Syracuse is facing additional charges in Tonawanda for fires he allegedly set there. Hall says a surveillance video near one of the crime scenes lead to Syracuse's arrest Tuesday night.
"A lot of the guys were working 24 hours straight. They wanted to really catch this guy. It helped putting the picture out on the news. That's how we ended up getting him," Hall said Wednesday morning.
The police chief says Syracuse confessed but did not offer a motive. Syracuse has no criminal history, but the department says it has had "minor" dealings with him in the past.
At times Monday night, around 150 firefighters were battling the arsons. No one was injured in the spree, where the targets appear to have been random.
Hall he says the U.S. Attorney is investigating to see if Syracuse faces federal charges. Syracuse is being held without bail in Niagara County.
