Suspected Boulder Plaza arsonist jailed
BY AMANDA BLAND World Staff Writer
Thursday, October 04, 2012
10/04/12 at 10:14 AM
Investigators with the Tulsa Fire Marshal’s office on Wednesday arrested a man suspected of setting an apartment building ablaze after dumping gasoline in the building’s lobby on Saturday.
Mark Anthony Colabella, 40, was arrested at his apartment in the 400 block of West Seventh Street at 7:17 p.m., according to his arrest report.
He's accused of willfully and maliciously setting fire to the Boulder Plaza Apartments, 1840 S. Boulder Ave., around 4 a.m. Saturday, the arresting officer wrote.
The Tulsa Fire Department on Tuesday released surveillance images of the arsonist purchasing gasoline at a nearby convenience store before the fire.
Investigators credited the city’s arson tipline as instrumental in identifying Colabella.
He is being held at the Tulsa Jail on complaints of first- and fifth-degree arson. His bond is set at $40,000.
Fifth-degree arson refers to the violation of a state statute criminalizing the act of endangering life and emergency service personnel while committing arson. The crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.
Associated Images:
Mark Colabella
Tulsa fire investigators released this convenience store surveillance photo, which shows the a man purchasing a gas can in the early morning hours of September 30th. The same man is then captured by the Boulder Plaza surveillance system pouring gasoline in the lobby, igniting it and fleeing the scene. Courtesy.
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