Cops: After Argument, Man Tries to Light House on Fire with Kids Inside

A Hempstead man threatened another man in a restaurant and then tried to light his house on fire Monday night, according to Nassau County Police.

At 10:35 p.m., Jacksin Rouzard, 26, began arguing with an unidentified 46-year-old man inside a restaurant on Main Street, police said. Rouzard threatened to kill the man with a knife before fleeing the eatery, cops said.

Rouzard then went to the victim’s home and tried to set it on fire several times with a woman and three children still inside, police said.

Authorities said Rouzard snuck into a bedroom, ignited a roll of paper towels, and threw it onto a bed. Then, he threw another lit paper towel roll through a window that set fire to a blanket, police said.

A woman inside the house quickly extinguished each of the fires, officials said. The children, ages 2, 3, and 6, escaped unharmed.

Rouzard fled the scene but was apprehended by police. He was charged with second-degree arson, second-degree burglary, second-degree menacing, and five counts of reckless endangerment. Rouzard was arraigned Tuesday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Photo: Jacksin Rouzard. Credit: NCPD

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