A Michigan man drove over 730 miles and set fire to the Pennsylvania home of a man that his ex-girlfriend had communicated with online, leaving six people inside the house hospitalized and two dogs dead, investigators said.
On Feb. 10, at 5:22 a.m., police and volunteer firefighters responded to the 5200 block of Merganser Way in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, for a reported house fire. When they arrived, they found six people outside the house. All six were taken to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. They were later released. Two dogs who were inside the home also died during the fire.
The homeowner told NBC10 she was sleeping earlier that morning when she heard strange noises. The woman went to investigate and saw a man who she believed was her son inside the home. She then went back to her room but the strange noises continued.
At 5:17 a.m., the woman walked downstairs and found her kitchen and living room on fire. She then alerted the five other residents inside the home and they all evacuated. One of the residents jumped from the second-floor window of the house to escape.
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“It’s a miracle they all survived,” Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey said during a Monday morning press conference. “And we credit the mother of that house for taking the actions she did to protect her family and ensure that they all lived.”
Investigators determined the cause of the fire was arson. They obtained surveillance video showing a Volkswagen Passat pulling up to the home around 5 a.m. that morning. A man then exits the vehicle and goes to the back of the home, staying in the area for about four minutes before returning to the car. The man then grabs something from the car and goes back to the rear of the house where he stays for about 12 minutes.
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Then, at 5:18 a.m., the man is seen running from the back of the home and fleeing in the Volkswagen. About 30 seconds later, smoke and an explosion are seen from the home.
Investigators determined the Volkswagen exited I-95 at Street Road around 1:24 a.m. that morning and drove directly to the home on Merganser Way. The vehicle then remained there for a few hours before the home was set on fire. Investigators said the Volkswagen then got back on I-95 South at 5:24 a.m. that morning.
Investigators traced the license plate of the Volkswagen to a home in Kent County, Michigan. Bensalem Police and the Kent County Sheriff’s Department later identified the driver as 21-year-old Harrison Jones, the son of the vehicle’s owner and a resident of Rockford, Michigan. Police said Jones was the ex-boyfriend of a 21-year-old Michigan woman who had been communicating online with a 22-year-old man who lived at the Merganser Way home that had been set on fire.
Investigators said Jones' ex-girlfriend had never met the 22-year-old man in person but was planning on meeting him in Pennsylvania.
On Feb. 12, 2025, members of the Kent County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at the Michigan home where they recovered Lidocaine burn cream, gauze wrappings, a locking pick and the Volkswagen Passat that had been spotted on surveillance video, investigators said.
Police interviewed Jones who denied being in Pennsylvania at the time of the fire, according to officials. Police said they obtained surveillance video showing Jones was at a Wawa about an hour away from Bensalem the morning of the fire, however. Jones' father also told police a phone app tracked his son to Pennsylvania around the time the fire started, according to court documents.
Jones was then arrested and charged with attempted homicide, arson and other related offenses.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
“It is clear to us that Mr. Jones had murderous intentions that evening,” McVey said. “He drove over 730 miles, 11 hours, to do what he did and then drove directly back home.”
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office approved the charges against Jones.
"This defendant faces 13 felony counts and nine misdemeanor counts where the total penalty exceeds more than his lifespan," Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said.
A GoFundMe was created in support of the family. The Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society also created a fundraiser in honor of the two dogs that were killed in the fire.
Jones speaks out
While being held in custody in Michigan, Jones spoke with NBC10's sister station WOOD-TV. During the interview, Jones admitted to driving to Pennsylvania but denied breaking into the Bucks County home and setting it on fire.
“I didn’t want to do any of this. I feel so bad that the house got burned down," Jones said. "It wasn’t me that set the fire and yeah, I guess I was, I was forced to.”
Jones claimed he traveled to Pennsylvania because he was forced to by others who threatened the people he loved. He didn't go into detail about the individuals he claimed threatened him or what those threats supposedly were, however.
"I drove alone out there and I think they were already out there," Jones said. "I had like a three, maybe four-hour block in my memory where I don't remember anything."
Jones denied being jealous of the Pennsylvania man who had communicated with his ex-girlfriend and claimed he only wanted her to be happy.
"I feel really bad," he said. "I ruined her Valentine's Day. I mean, I didn't burn down the house."
Jones also told WOOD-TV that he's undergone sporadic mental health treatment but hasn't been diagnosed with anything and doesn't have any mental illnesses.
On Friday, Feb. 28, Jones was extradited from Michigan to Bensalem, Pennsylvania. He is currently in custody at the Bucks County Jail after his bail was denied, according to court records.
Jones is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 11, 2025. NBC10 reached out to Jones' attorney for comment. We will include a statement as soon as we receive one.
