BT Viewers Help Cops Nab Arson Suspect
Posted August 17, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
They were just hoping to be a part of BT Viewer Appreciation Day, but fans of the show who lined up at Queen and John overnight suddenly became something else: witnesses to a crime.
The viewers pointed Toronto police in the right direction after they saw an individual setting a fire in the doorway of the Queen Street Market, directly across from the growing lineup along Queen St.
“We were enjoying ourselves, and we saw a guy in the marketplace lighting paper on fire,” explained Fred Colley. “And I thought of the arsons, phoned police and reported it.”
Another fan, Judith Fredette, added, “Sitting here and all of a sudden, saw out the corner of my eye, turned and looked and here was this man with what looked like a brown envelope on fire and he was holding it under the door handle. He was yelling.”
Officers took a suspect into custody two blocks east of the intersection.
Fortunately there were no injuries reported. Police had received reports of small fires being set along Queen St. West only moments before.
The city has been plagued by fires believed to be arson-related over the past couple of months. It’s unclear whether the man arrested may be connected with those previous incidents.
