New Jersey man allegedly sets fire to girlfriend’s parents’ home while she was still inside after argument

A New Jersey man is accused of setting fire to his girlfriend’s parents’ home following an argument between the couple, forcing her and the other occupants to evacuate.

Leonard Jones, 50, allegedly started the fire after a verbal argument with his girlfriend inside the home at 155 Old Beekman Road in South Brunswick around 3 a.m. Tuesday, South Brunswick police said in a news release.

Police were first called to the home after Jones was ordered to leave following the argument, but refused.

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But as officers were on their way to the home, a second 911 call came in, reporting that the house was on fire.

“We had been here twice before, once for a noise complaint around midnight, the noise had died down, and then we got a call about 10 minutes before the fire that there was an out-of-control male at the residence,” Detective Sergeant Tim Hoover of the South Brunswick Police Department told reporters, according to ABC 7.

“Officers then received a call that a fire had started and appeared to be out of control. Officers responded and when they arrived on scene, the house was fully engulfed,” Hoover continued.

Jones and three others inside the home managed to escape safely as the fire raged through the house and no injuries were reported.

Neighbor Elise Campanella said one of the residents of the burning house knocked on her door and alerted her of the fire.

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“It was pretty big and I was afraid the lightning was going to come from the trees and hit my house. It was insane,” she told News 12 New Jersey.

According to ABC 7, the fire required more than 70 firefighters to respond.

Jones was arrested and charged with aggravated arson and domestic violence. He was booked into the Middlesex County Correctional Facility.