A Schuylkill County man was jailed on felony arson charges Wednesday afternoon.
Jesus Nieves-Rivera, 41, of W. Coal St. in Shenandoah, was arraigned Wednesday at Schuylkill County Courthouse, in the temporary home of District Magistrate Judge Anthony Kilker. Nieves-Rivera is facing first-degree felony charges of arson and causing a catastrophe, a third-degree felony charge of criminal mischief, and a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment.
Kilker set bail at $150,000 cash, which was not posted and Nieves-Rivera was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison.
According to an affidavit filed by police in Shenandoah, the incident that resulted in charges being filed happened during the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve at the Schuylkill County Housing Authority development on Pioneer Rd. in the borough.
Police say they were dispatched to 208 Pioneer Rd. shortly before 2 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2024, for a report of a structure fire. Neighboring addresses within the housing complex were evacuated. A total of 41 fire personnel – from Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, and Frackville – were dispatched to the scene.
Firefighters had to force their way into the home and inside found a loveseat on fire in the living room. That was quickly extinguished and the fire was contained to the living room.
As firefighters attempted to ventilate the home, they found the rear entrance had been shut but not locked. While continuing to ventilate the townhouse, another working fire was found inside a dresser drawer in a bedroom upstairs. Firefighters had to force their way into the bedroom because the door was locked. That fire was contained to just the dresser.
An investigation by State Police Fire Marshal Joseph Hall determined that each fire inside the home at 208 Pioneer Rd. was intentionally set.
Schuylkill County Housing Authority told police that 208 Pioneer Rd. was deemed a “total loss” by its insurance company, with a damage estimate of at least $100,000.
Further investigation revealed that Nieves-Rivera did not live at 208 Pioneer Rd. Instead, he was reportedly given permission by the primary occupant of that address to go there to retrieve important documents as she was staying with a relative for the holidays, police say.
Nieves-Rivera reportedly went to the Pioneer Rd. address just before midnight on Dec. 30 but couldn’t find those documents. According to the occupant, Nieves-Rivera went back inside minutes later, just after midnight on Dec. 31, calling the occupant while walking through the home looking for the papers, which were apparently found during this visit.
Less than two hours after Nieves-Rivera’s visit, the occupant of 208 Pioneer Rd. received a phone call informing her that her home was on fire. She called Nieves-Rivera to tell him that her home was on fire. He reportedly responded by asking if he should turn around and go back to the scene. Nieves-Rivera said he was passing Cabela’s in Tilden Township, Berks County, at the time he got the call, but the occupant said there was nothing he could do by turning back.
Police say they’ve reviewed security footage from the nearby Redner’s store, which is where Nieves-Rivera reportedly parked to visit the victim’s home to look for the documents.
That video reportedly shows Nieves-Rivera exiting a vehicle he’s known to use shortly before midnight on Dec. 30. The person believed to be Nieves-Rivera goes into the rear entrance of 208 Pioneer Rd. and returns again at about midnight carrying an object in his hand.
A minute later, he goes back to the Pioneer Rd. home and doesn’t come back out until about 1:39 a.m., just a few minutes before 9-1-1 dispatchers get a call about a fire there.
At 9 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 31, police say video footage from a doorbell camera and phone location data shows Nieves-Rivera delivering those documents he was asked to retrieve at a Northampton home where the fire victim was staying.
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