National News

Harrisburg man accused of setting his building on fire, fighting rescue workers

A Harrisburg man is accused of setting his apartment on fire and fighting with emergency responders who attempted to rescue him, according to Harrisburg police.

Posted Updated

By
Keith Schweigert
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA — A Harrisburg man is accused of setting his apartment on fire and fighting with emergency responders who attempted to rescue him, according to Harrisburg police.

David Ramroop, 40, started the fire at his building at the 1900 block of State Street on July 23, according to police. Officers arrived at 5:46 p.m. to find firefighters working to put out a fire. They were asked to enter the building to assist with detaining a man who was being combative and resistant to rescue attempts.

Ramroop was found on the second floor. He was actively resisting all attempts to remove him from the building, police say. He allegedly tried to push a firefighter down the stairs. Police observed that Ramroop had several deep cuts to his left wrist, according to the criminal complaint.

Fire officials determined that the fire had been intentionally set on the third floor attic. Ramroop was allegedly the only person with access to that area, according to police.

Ramroop was charged with arson, causing or risking a catastrophe, aggravated assault, obstructing emergency services and two counts of recklessly endangering another person.

He is being held in the Dauphin County Prison on $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 31.

Copyright 2024 by Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.