Boredom can get the best of you, but it shouldn’t cause you to commit a felony.
Police in Ferndale, Pennsylvania arrested four teenage girls for allegedly setting an unoccupied house ablaze and posting the fire on their Snapchats earlier this month. Police used the pictures and profiles to identify the suspects whose ages range from 12-14.
Ferndale Police Chief John Blake claimed that the girls admitted to setting the duplex on fire because they were “bored.” Per the local Pittsburgh CBS affiliate, the girls used various aerosol sprays, including bug spray and Lysol, to start the blaze.
“They placed a shoebox on the couch and threw lit pieces of paper into the box that had been sprayed with accelerant,” Blake explained.
A police officer was taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation after trying to combat the flames and a firefighter was also treated for an unnamed “medical issue.”
A state police fire marshal and insurance representatives are still calculating the estimated damage but it is expected to be a large amount of restitution.
“I’m just thankful the injuries weren’t more severe, or these girls could be facing homicide charges,” Blake said.
The teens were released to the custody of their parents or guardians and are set to have their cases heard in juvenile court. Police are also looking at the girls for a connection to another attempted arson earlier in the day.
