A 27-year-old man faces charges after police said he set a house on fire in North Miami Beach on Friday morning. Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews were called to the home at 1434 NE 154th St. shortly before 9:20 a.m.
A witness told officers that Jeffthe Arisda gathered napkins, rags and other items from the dining room table and threw them into his bedroom while holding a lighter, according to a police report. The witness said Arisda then walked out of the bedroom and announced that the residence was on fire. Thick black smoke and flames then blew out the bedroom window, the witness told police.
Arisda denied setting the fire, police said. Officers arrested him shortly before 9:25 a.m. Friday. Corrections booked him at 3:40 p.m. at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center near Doral, according to inmate records.
Arisda faces three charges: attempted felony murder, first-degree arson and criminal mischief. The report did not say whether anyone was hurt in the fire.
