Estranged husband charged with arson in Essex home explosion
BALTIMORE -- A man has been charged with arson in connection with a home explosion in Essex last month, the Baltimore County Fire Department said Tuesday.
Police say Michael Greensfelder created the explosion -- which led to a two-alarm fire -- at a home he shared with his estranged wife and children. He's also charged with animal cruelty because the family dog died in the fire.
The explosion happened on April 20 around 11 p.m. on Crafton Road. One man was hospitalized for non-life-threatening burn injuries.
The 52-year-old is charged with first-degree arson, malicious destruction of property, malicious burning and animal cruelty. He was arrested Monday about a mile from the home.
Charging documents obtained by WJZ outline how Greensfelder used the natural gas line, home appliances and fuel to destroy the home and displacing his estranged wife and children, and killing the family dog.
Greensfelder's estranged wife told WJZ last month that she and her children were not home at the time of the explosion.
She told investigators that her and her now estranged husband had been separated for about a month. She claims he became "increasingly negative" and attempted to kill himself and her.
He was not living in the home at the time of the incident, but had a key to get in, according to charging documents.
A new security camera video shows a suspect going in and out of the home the night of the blast.
Investigators allege he drove by the home around 6:30 p.m., which was just after his wife left the home. He then returned, according to police, at 8:30 p.m.
He was later seen on camera leaving the home shortly after the explosion. Then, investigators say he fled to a hideout less than half a mile from the scene.
Greensfelder left the hideout later that night in an ambulance after speaking with police.
He told them he was "in and out of sleep on the couch" and did not smell any gas when he left. Greensfelder was treated for burns on his head, neck, shoulders, arms and legs at the hospital.
"It went from a couple of flames to this massive thing of flames. I mean so fast. It's like nothing I've ever seen," neighbor Patricia Rodolff said last month.
Anita Curry, a neighbor, says someone saw a man leave the home and pulled him to safety while her husband tried to stop the flames with a small hose.
"The other neighbor actually got the man and pulled him and then my husband was there and my son was there," Curry said. "My husband was actually looking for a hose. Like I said, the fire was so small and like contained in just the corner of that house before it just blew the rest away."
Greensfelder and his wife had been separated for about a month, according to charging documents. His wife claims he became increasingly negative and threatened to kill himself or her.
Investigators say Greensfelder removed a gas cap to the natural gas line into the house and used appliances and fuel to ignite the fire. BGE told investigators natural gas use in the home increased 10-fold that night and the excessive usage was on the "customer side", downstream of the gas meter.
"He had two girls, and they painted his toenails pink and blue," Rodolff said. "And you know, he's that kind of a dad. He's just a great guy. You just don't expect it."
Fire investigation units from across Maryland assisted with the investigation, including the ATF and specialized canine units, who were on scene on May 1.
According to the charge documents, accelerant sniffing dogs, trained to identify ignitable liquids, found fuel on the clothing Greensfelder wore that night as well as within the rubble.
Investigators determined the fuel was "intentionally introduced" in the home.
Police served an arrest warrant on Wiltshire Road on Monday and took Greensfelder into custody.
He was in court on Tuesday for a bail hearing. He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.