Police searching for South Philadelphia arson suspect

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Philadelphia Police are searching for an arson suspect in South Philadelphia.

The incident occurred Tuesday morning at 5:34 a.m. on the 200 block of South Beechwood Street.

According to police, they responded to a call for a person with a weapon at a home on the block.

Police say an unknown male wearing a black jacket, blue hoodie, and khaki pants threw an object into the house starting a fire.

When officers arrived, they found the homeowner and discovered the front 1 st floor window had been shattered and a broken glass bottle with a wick in the neck of a bottle which appeared to be burned.

Officers say they also noticed a strong gasoline smell at the home.

The fireboard also responded and determined the cause to be arson.

According to a neighbor, she was asleep and awakened by a loud boom noise. She says she looked out of her front window and saw an unknown male wearing a black jacket, hoodie, and khaki pants standing in front of the affected home watching the fire which was covering the sidewalk.

Another neighbor says he was on his way to work and tried to step in, approaching the stoic suspect who continued to stare at the flames.

When the neighbor mentioned the police, the suspect turned and walked away northbound on Beechwood Street and then possibly eastbound on Jackson Street.

The Arson and Explosives Task Force along with the ATF responded to the scene where the bomb squad found a second Molotov cocktail on the sidewalk in front of the home.

No one was injured.

The suspect is described as a black male in a black jacket, dark hoodie, khaki pants, and black shoes.