Ozone Park Man Arrested for Arson

FDNY fire marshals arrested a 26-year-old Ozone Park man on Jan. 28 for setting fire on Jan. 26 to the apartment he shared with a 25-year-old female companion and their 3 month-old son.

Isiah Abramson is being held pending arraignment on charges of 2nd and 4th degree arson, 2nd degree criminal mischief and 2nd degree reckless endangerment. Second degree arson is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

Mr. Abramson will be prosecuted by the Office of Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.

On Jan. 26 at 3:47 p.m., a fire was reported at 86-08 101st Ave. that escalated into a third alarm. The three-story building contains six apartments, two on each floor. Marshals determined that the fire started in Mr. Abramson’s apartment on the second floor.

Eight firefighters received minor injuries at the scene, but no civilians were injured.

An investigation by the marshals determined that Mr. Abramson intentionally started the fire after a dispute with his female companion on Jan. 25. During that dispute Mr. Abramson allegedly trashed the apartment, threatened her with a knife and told her he would set fire to the apartment, saying, “If I can't live here, no one will.”

She and the baby then fled the apartment with relatives.

On Jan. 26, Mr. Abramson returned to the 101st Avenue apartment, removed his possessions and trashed the remaining contents of the apartment. He then set a fire that eventually spread throughout the apartment and upper floors of the three-story building. The apartment was empty and locked when firefighters arrived.

Mr. Abramson was arrested at his mother’s house in Brooklyn on Jan. 27 and he is currently in custody.

Mr. Abramson has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1997, including a conviction on Criminal Possession of a Loaded Firearm in April 2001 and a separate Bank Robbery conviction from Dec. 18, 2008. He is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on Feb 5, 2009.