NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A man accused of torching cars in an arson spree early Friday morning on the Upper West Side was released without bail after allegedly committing a similar arson spree weeks ago.
According to police, the suspect—38-year-old Michael Patterson—had been released without bail on charges connected with four fires set on the Upper East Side earlier this month.
Sources said police officers came across Patterson Friday morning while conducting a canvas of the area.
He was charged with two counts of criminal mischief, two counts of reckless endangerment and six counts of arson.
Police said that shortly before 3:45 a.m., the suspect set fire to a garbage can at 40 West 77th St., near the American Museum of Natural History.
The blaze quickly spread from the container to two adjacent parked vehicles—a Lexus LS430 and a Mini Cooper—damaging both. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze by 4:20 a.m., with no reported injuries.
The same suspect is believed to have struck again just 40 minutes later, approximately five blocks away, setting fire to another garbage can near the intersection of West 82nd Street and Columbus Avenue, police said.
Ed Rogan, who owns the torched Mini Cooper, said "it's an unusual thing to happen in this neighborhood, that's for sure."
"But it's part of life in New York, sometimes crazy stuff happens," he said.