Newark Police and the State Fire Marshall’s Office are investigating a house fire on Old Cooches Bridge Road that preceded an alleged assault of a teenager.
Police report that shortly before the fire, a 17-year old male was reportedly assaulted and strangled by his father, 44. The victim was able to leave the home with a family member who came to the scene.
While the domestic incident was being reported, a fire call was received. and officers found the father outside the home. They determined that the man had been pulled from the home by a passerby and that he had fought with the rescuer, apparently planning to stay in the home while it burned.
The State Fire Marshall’s Office assisted the Newark Police Department by going to the scene. A preliminary investigation determined that the fire was intentionally set by the father who was the sole occupant at the time.
The father was transported to Christiana Hospital for evaluation and will be formally charged upon his release. The 17-year-old sustained a minor injury to his head.
