Husband arrested in terror rampage

Friday, January 02, 2009
By KEN THORBOURNE
NIGHT CITY EDITOR

One Jersey City husband apparently tried to put the fire back into his relationship with his wife on New Year's Eve - big time.

Having doused the couple's apartment with lighter fluid, the 36-year-old Dwight Street man was charged with criminal mischief, resisting arrest, obstructing a governmental function, terroristic threats and domestic violence, reports said.

About 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a call from a woman saying her husband was pouring lighter fluid all over their apartment, reports said.

About an hour earlier, the woman told police, she had argued with her husband on the phone.

The woman said the husband had kicked a hole in a wall and had thrown a DVD player and amplifier down a flight of stairs, according to reports.

By the time police and the Fire Department's arson unit arrived, the husband had left the apartment, but officials smelled the lighter fluid, found the bottle of lighter fluid, and saw electronic devices scattered on the living room floor, officials said.

Reports said that as police continued to investigate, the wife looked out the window and saw the husband walking down the block and yelled, "That's him!"

The man ran when police approached, but he was tackled and arrested in the School 15 playground, reports said.

The husband has an outstanding warrant from Jersey City for failure to appear in court, according to reports.