U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Jermaine Fields, a 38-year-old resident of Rochester, NY, has been sentenced to five years in prison for arson. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan explained the details of the case, stating that on April 17, 2024, the Rochester Fire Department responded to an alarm at the Abundance Co-Op Market on South Avenue in Rochester. Firefighters detected a burning rubber smell in the men’s bathroom but saw no flames. Burned debris and burn patterns were found on the floor and wall behind the toilet. Security footage identified Fields as entering and exiting the bathroom just before the fire alarm sounded. He was arrested days later and charged with arson.
Fields also admitted to starting a fire in a stairwell at the Hall of Justice on Exchange Boulevard in Rochester on April 5, 2024.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Rochester Fire Department led by Chief Stefano Napolitano, the Rochester Police Department under Chief David Smith, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives directed by Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller from New York Field Division.
