PARKER CITY (KDKA) — State police say an Armstrong County man is in jail, accused of threatening his wife and then setting fire to their home overnight in Parker City.

According to investigators, 52-year-old James Ryan was taken into custody early Sunday morning and is being held in the Armstrong County Jail.

The incident happened between midnight and 1:10 a.m. in the 200-block of South Farren Avenue.

State police say Ryan is accused of getting into a verbal argument with 52-year-old Bonnie Ryan which then allegedly escalated into a physical altercation.

Authorities say James Ryan is also accused of grabbing a shotgun from a bedroom, which a relative was able to wrestle away from him.

Bonnie Ryan, the relative and two children were then able to get out of the home to safety, state police said.

According to investigators, James Ryan is then accused of setting fire to the home and then running into a nearby wooded area. He was later arrested.

“It was pretty intense,” said one local resident. “Once the word got out, we started letting the neighbors know that he had a gun and that the police were fully armed looking for him. So then everybody kind of secured themselves in their house.”

Ryan is being held on $100,000 cash assured bond.

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