Nyack 16-Year-Old Charged in Arson Spree

A 16-year-old Nyack boy was arrested Wednesday on arson charges stemming from set in Nyack early Tuesday and a separate fire over the weekend, Orangetown police said this morning.

Police said they have charged Jonathan Barillas, 16, of Nyack, with:

Third-degree burglary, a class “D” felony - 2 counts

Second-degree arson, a class “B” felony -1 count

Third-degree arson, a class “C” felony -5 counts

Fourth-degree grand larceny, a class “E” felony - 2 counts

In addition to the fires that took place about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday on Summit Street and Washington Street, police said Barillas is accused of burglarizing a building on Catherine Street twice, on Aug. 10 and 13, and returning on Aug. 19 to set the same building on fire.

No one was injured in the fires, although a home a 35 Summit St. was damaged by the fire and offices at 13 Catherine St. were heavily damaged by the Sunday morning fire.

Residents of 35 Summit St. were home at the time of that fire and evacuated the home safely. On Catherine Street, the building housing the offices also contains two apartments — one that was occupied at the time of the fire. Orangetown police woke the sleeping apartment resident to get him out of the burning building.

Barillas was arraigned by Orangetown Town Judge Richard C. Finning and ordered held in the Rockland County Correctional Facility in New City on $50,000 bail pending a hearing in Nyack Village Court.

In addition to the fires that were set, Orangetown police said Barillas was charged in connection with a rash of larcenies from unlocked cars that also took place in the Summit Street neighborhood just south of Nyack's Main Street. Detectives are trying to connect recovered items to the cars that they were taken from.

As of this morning, Barillas is not charged in connection with the many other car larcenies that have taken place in the Nyack, South Nyack and Upper Grand View areas.

Also, Jonathan Barillas is charged with twice breaking into at the offices of a small company based there. And, he is accused of setting a fire at the building. The morning of the fire, Nyack firefighters initially thought the fire was accidental and possibly caused by an electrical problem.

Police say it now appears the fire was set by Barillas.

Police ask that anyone who might have information regarding these incidents call Orangetown Police Detectives at 845-359-2121. Their investigation is continuing.

Orangetown Police were assisted by the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department Bureau of Criminal Identification arson unit.