Man Charged With Arson & Attempted Murder In Northwest Baltimore Fire
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- People jumped from the roof of a burning home in Northeast Baltimore. Now, police say the blaze was set intentionally.
Jessica Kartalija says it all started with a domestic dispute.
"It just started so fast and they didn't have time to get out," said a neighbor.
It was chaos as residents on Ridgewood Avenue watched neighbors struggle to escape. The scene was captured by Sky Eye Chopper 13.
"If they didn't get out when they did, they would have started falling through," said Tierra Covell.
Covell was first to call 911.
"It was really scary. I could barely talk to her. They were already falling, so I was screaming but trying to get the address and give a description of what was going on," she said.
It all started around 2:45 p.m. Monday. A 40-year-old woman called police and was taken to the hospital, accusing her boyfriend, 26-year-old Jordan Grimes, of attacking her with a baseball bat.
"Approximately two hours later is when the individual returned who was the suspect in the domestic and allegedly set the house on fire," said Baltimore City Police Major Marc Partee.
Police tell WJZ there were as many as 10 people inside of the home at the time.
"The first lady that came out, she fell straight to the ground. Her skin was burned badly. They put snow on her skin to try and stop the burn," Covell said.
Neighbors who don't want to appear on camera say they're shocked and scared.
"Devastating just to see that someone could do something like that," one said.
Grimes is now being charged with attempted murder and arson.
"We believe it's some form of incendiary; we believe it might be gasoline," said Baltimore City Fire Sgt. Dennis Rafferty.
Baltimore Police say they are going to make a continued effort to crack down on violent offenders, especially when it comes to intimate partner violence, in the new year.
The victims are being treated at Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center.
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