Police authorities arrested a 39-year-old man who allegedly caused 14 fires including an outdoor dining area of a fledgling Chelsea eatery in Manhattan early morning Monday.
The local police identified the suspect as Alex Blodgett who was arrested with a lighter in his hand around 4:15 in the morning.
Blodgett’s arrest came after the police were called to the Loulou Petit Bistro & Speakeasy at 176 Eighth Ave. in Chelsea due to an outdoor blaze.
The owner of the French bistro, Mathias Van Leyden said no one is hurt in the fire which only damaged the outdoor dining section and part of the facade.
“We had a very nice outdoor section already, but it’s going to be even nicer than before,” Leyden said.
“I opened this restaurant three weeks before the pandemic. We survived and thrived during the pandemic. This is not going to stop me,” Leyden added.
Authorities are convinced that aside from the restaurant, Blodgett also set 13 other garbage fires in various spots around Manhattan.
The police said the suspect started his string of blazes around 2:40 in the morning.
At the moment, Blodgett is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital as charges against him were pending.
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