A Peekskill man is going to prison for intentionally setting his Newburgh business on fire while someone else was in living in apartment above.
Jesus Cruz, 44, was sentenced to 17 years in state prison in Orange County Court on Tuesday.
The incident dates back to Sept. 22, 2017, when prosecutors said Cruz lit his bodega on fire while there was a tenant living in an apartment above the business.
“This defendant intentionally placed at grave risk the tenant of that building, the brave firefighters who responded to the fire, as well as others in the vicinity, and clearly deserved a severe prison sentence,” Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said in a statement. “Arson, particularly when it occurs in a densely populated urban area, is an incredibly dangerous crime. To endanger the lives of others, whether for spite or for financial reward, is something that cannot be tolerated.