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12-year-old suspected of starting two fires in Marblehead church
The fires occurred over the past two Sundays. Each fire was small and did not cause any permanent damage to the church.
A 12-year-old is suspected of starting two fires inside a Marblehead church over the past two weeks, authorities said Monday.
The incidents occurred inside Our Lady Star of the Sea Church on Atlantic Avenue. The first happened on Sept. 21, and the second on Sept. 28.
On each of the past two Sundays, small fires were reported and quickly extinguished. There was no permanent damage to the church.
After they responded to the first fire, officials suspected that it was intentionally set. They responded to the church again on Sunday at about 11:42 a.m. and found a small fire in a bathroom, according to a release from the Marblehead fire and police departments. State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office helped in the investigation.
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Officials only identified the suspect as a 12-year-old and said that more information would not be released. The juvenile is the sole suspect.
“These incidents appear to be isolated, and there is no identifiable threat to the community or the parishioners at Star of the Sea Church. We are ever vigilant to protect our places of worship and appreciate the assistance of our public safety partners and the church staff to identify the individual responsible and hold them accountable,” Marblehead Police Chief Dennis King said in a statement.
King did not respond to requests for further comment Monday. Neither did spokespeople from the State Police.
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“We take all fire incidents seriously, no matter how small, and are grateful for the teamwork that helped us bring this case to a swift resolution,” Marblehead Fire Chief Jason Gilliland said in a statement. “We are thankful to the parish staff for their vigilance, and to our partners in law enforcement who assisted in this investigation.”
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