Man Arrested For Setting Fires In Natrona & Harrison Township

HARRISON TOWNSHIP (KDKA)- Police have arrested a 19-year-old man for arson, in connection with two fires earlier this month in the Harrison Township area.

Sean Hallam was arraigned on a long list of charges Monday night, including attempted homicide.

KDKA's Heather Abraham Reports:

Harrison Township police stopped him Sunday evening near 66 Vine Street, one of the homes that was set on fire earlier this month. Hallam had a pair of black gloves in his pocket and a black mask in the back seat of his car.

Police said the gloves had a strong odor of gasoline and there were burn marks on them.

On April 9, firefighters were called to a duplex on 66 Vine Street for a fire. The second floor was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Five people living in the downstairs unit were able to escape. They helped a grandmother and her grandson escape from the second floor. The two of them were taken to the hospital and were treated and released for smoke inhalation.

The duplex was destroyed by the fire and the fire marshal was called in to investigate. They determined the fire was an arson, and reviewed surveillance video, which showed a man throwing a Molotov cocktail at the rear of the home. The bottle didn't break on the first throw, so the suspect picked it up and threw it again.

Hallam later confessed to setting the fire. He told police he was high on cough medicine and methamphetamines and was driving around with a friend. They stopped and mixed the Molotov cocktails in a cul-de-sac in Mount Lebanon. After stopping for food at Tom's Diner in Dormont, Hallam said said he and his friend drove past the house on Vine Street in Harrison Township, a home where one of his friends lived.

KDKA's Brenda Waters Reports:

In the criminal complaint, Hallam stated he felt bad for what he did to his friend's house the next morning. He stated there was no motive or reason for the fire.

He also admitted to setting a fire on Friday, April 10 at a home on Natrona Street. He told police he was high on meth and began breaking windows of homes along the street.

The house of Barbara Stanzione was set on fire and police found a plumber's torch near one of the broken windows. Hallam says he was at the home, but can't remember setting the fire.

Stanzione told police that she met Hallam at a bar back in January. She said the two tried to date, but she ended it due to his heavy steroid use and the fact he sold guns he obtained from West Virginia.

When police searched Hallam's car, they found a Sig Sauer 556 assault rifle with three fully loaded magazines, a Molotov cocktail in the wheel well of the trunk, two hats with burn marks, some marijuana and other drugs, as well as black socks matching the wick of the Molotov cocktail and a lighter.

Hallam is being held at the Allegheny County Jail.

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