New Jersey man arrested on attempted arson charge

PHILADELPHIA - A New Jersey man was arrested and charged with attempted arson and false statement to law enforcement in connection with an incident from April 2014.

Chad Dodge, 35, of Mullica Hill, NJ, was charged by indictment, with attempted arson and false statement to law enforcement, according to authorities. Dodge was arrested Friday morning by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

According to the indictment, on April 14, 2014, Dodge attempted to set fire to a building located at 752 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is further alleged that on July 8, 2015, Dodge knowingly and willfully made a materially false statement to a Special Agent of the ATF, by stating that he had never handled the timing device found at 752 South 4th Street when, in fact, he had handled the device.

If convicted of all charges, Dodge faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison with a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, plus two years of supervised release, a fine of up to $500,000, and a $200 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Philadelphia Fire Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney V. Paige Pratter.