In what Gwinnett fire officials called a “strange twist,” a man’s visit to the scene of two car fires led to his arrest on arson charges.
Nicholas Minardi, 21, of Buford, has been charged with two counts of second-degree arson, two counts of criminal trespass and one count each of possession of tools for the commission of a crime, entering an auto and criminal damage to property in the second degree.
Two cars at Buford Superior Self Storage on French Boulevard were intentionally set on fire at opposite ends of the storage facility, said Capt. Tommy Rutledge, a spokesman for the County Fire and Emergency Services.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at 7:22 p.m. on Sunday, and both cars were severely damaged. Fire from one of the cars spread to a nearby building.
Investigators said they first identified Minardi as a suspect through surveillance footage.
When Minardi returned to the scene Monday, he told the storage facility’s manager he was checking if his “girlfriend’s property” was damaged in the fire, Rutledge said.
Minardi said he had heard about the fire in the news, but the media had not yet been notified of the fire and no stories about it had been published, according to a release from the agency.
A manager was able to write down Minardi’s license plate number and give it to the authorities. Fire investigators arrested Minardi at his home Tuesday afternoon. He is being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Detention Center.
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