SCRANTON -- A man is charged with attempted homicide after Scranton police say he set a home on fire and put his father in the hospital.
Fire inspectors and Scranton police investigated Friday's fire in the city's north end all weekend, suspecting it was arson. Monday morning they filed charges again Kevin Brown of Scranton who lived in the home with his father.
According to court papers, when the fire broke out on Friday afternoon some of Brown's neighbors heard brown say he set the fire and wanted to leave his father inside to “let him die.”
The house on Rockwell Avenue is empty now and most of the inside is burned. The last time Craig McGoff saw it, it was filled with smoke and flames and he hasn't been able to shake the memory since.
"I couldn't sleep, and after seeing the man, I don't know him from the day is long but nobody deserves that,” McGoff said.
McGoff and his neighbor Frank Yanik were some of the first to see the smoke Friday afternoon and ran over to the house. That's where they found Kevin Brown calmly sitting cross-legged in the backyard.
"We asked him who set the fire and he said 'I did.’” We asked if there was anyone else in there and he said, ‘yeah, my father.’” That was it, we all just went rampaging through the house and we found him on the front, and I pulled him out."
McGoff said they had to kick down the front door. It was locked and when they got inside, they found Kevin's father Jim Brown passed out and severely burned.
Neighbor Ann Reap says the men started CPR and revived him before firefighters and an ambulance got there.
"It was just a shock that day. It was a shock to see him laying on the sidewalk. But, he's 78 years old and he's hanging in there,” Reap said.
Jim Brown was taken to the Lehigh Valley Burn Center near Allentown.
Police charged Kevin Brown with attempted homicide and arson. According to court papers, neighbors told police they heard Brown yell to leave his father inside and let him die. Police say the two were arguing about money before the fire started.
"Sad, it's sad that he had so many problems in his life and he took it out on a 70-year-old man,” said Samantha Graham.
Brown was arraigned at the county courthouse. He's charged with attempted homicide and several counts of arson and reckless endangerment. A magistrate set Brown's bail at $500,000.