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As the motorist was making her way down the street about 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 19, she saw "a large fireball on the (front) porch" of Terry Jackson's home at 1048 Memorial Ave., according to a city police affidavit.
The driver, who stopped and called 911, also saw a tall, thin man "standing near the fire who removed an object from his waistband and pointed it at her," police said. The woman, believing the object to be a handgun, quickly drove away, fearing for her life, police said. Jackson and her son soon discovered the fire and doused it by using a fire extinguisher.
Investigators quickly determined the fire was arson and have charged Jackson's 35-year-old nephew, Saleen Kadeem Cole, of Philadelphia, with setting it. At the time of the fire, Jackson, her son and 1-year-old granddaughter were inside the home, Agent Jason Bolt, the lead investigator who filed felony charges against Cole, said.
It is alleged that Cole set the fire about 30 minutes after he had been "expelled" from the house following a physical altercation he had with his cousin, Jackson's son, Bolt said. Before the altercation, Cole had "intentionally urinated on the floor" in the house, the investigator said he was told. Cole told Jackson he was "not responsible for his actions, for what happens next," the affidavit stated.
Both city police and firefighters responded to the fire. Investigators detected the odor of gasoline and recovered "what appeared to be the melted top portion of a clear plastic drink bottle," the affidavit started. While Jackson was speaking with officers, she received a phone call from Cole. She confronted him and asked him why he would burn down her home.
Cole told her "I'm not saying that I did, but...," Bolt wrote in the affidavit. Cole told Jackson on the phone that he was "attempting to leave (the area) and head back to Philadelphia," Bolt alleges that Cole bought gasoline at an all-night convenience store, and then used the gasoline to help him set the fire.
Currently on probation, Cole, who has prior arrests for drug offenses and firearm violations, has been charged with arson endangering persons, aggravated arson and risking a catastrophe. At Cole's recent preliminary hearing, Bolt, along with Jackson and city fire Platoon Chief and fire investigator Sherman Heaster, were among those who testified before District Judge Christian Frey. At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to hold Cole on all three felonies. He remains jailed in the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail.