Finleyville man accused of trying to blow up his townhome
FINLEYVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) — A Finleyville man is in jail after police say he tried to blow up his townhome, chased a man and his family with a hammer and fought with officers.
According to police, 45-year-old Ricky Brian Ringer Jr. poured gasoline down his toilet and sink drains in an attempt to blow up his townhome on School Place. Fearing an explosion, a man who lives next door evacuated his family from their townhome, police said.
As he was leaving, he said he saw Ringer carrying something on fire heading to the gasoline-fume-filled home and tried to stop him. The neighbor told KDKA-TV at that point, Ringer started chasing him and his family with a hammer.
The man and his family eventually sought shelter at a Finleyville tavern around 1:30 a.m.
"We were going through yards and every time I looked up this guy was getting closer," the neighbor said. "Thank god for Roy's. Roy did a stand-up job."
"When they explained what was going on, I couldn't put them out in the cold. They came for refuge," said Roy Arthrell Jr., owner of Roy's by the Tracks.
Firefighters declared the townhomes safe, and police arrested Ringer not far from his home.