Man Accused of Throwing Molotov Cocktail at Neighbor's House Pleads Not Guilty

A Riverhead man pleaded not guilty to attempted arson and a weapons charge at his arraignment on Thursday morning, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Monwell Wright allegedly filled an ice tea bottle with gas, ignited a homemade wick and hurled it at his neighbor’s house at 24 Sigal Avenue on June 14, according to the DA.

The bottle bounced off the house and exploded on the ground, according to the DA.

The homeowner at 24 Sigal Avenue had a video surveillance system installed after an incident last month when he found scorch marks on his vinyl siding, according to the DA.

“The footage shows the defendant outside the home at the time the bottle of gas was tossed at the house,” Spota said. “We are fortunate the house didn’t catch fire; there were six people, including a six-month old infant, inside 24 Sigal Avenue when the Molotov cocktail hit the house.”

State Supreme Court Justice William Condon ordered Wright held in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.