Man Accused Of Attempted Riverhead Arson: Police

RIVERHEAD, NY — A St. James man was accused of a string of attempted arsons over the past several weeks, including in Riverhead, Suffolk County police said.

Suffolk County detectives tracked the suspect, John Cayamanda, to the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road Station Wednesday morning. While officers attempted to arrest him, he fled on foot, leading to a pursuit by Fourth and Fifth Precinct officers and Canine Unit officers, police said. Cayamanda was apprehended a short time later around noon on Avis Drive in Holbrook.

Police said Cayamanda attempted to set a Chevrolet pickup truck on fire on Sweezy Avenue in Riverhead on March 1; left a combustible item in a driveway on Sweezy Avenue in Riverhead on March 21; and threw a combustible item at an unmarked Suffolk County police car on the same road on April 6.

Cayamanda is also being investigated in connection to similar incidents in Setauket and Centereach, police said.

Cayamanda, 43, was charged with first-degree attempted assault, two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree attempted arson, police said. He was held at the Fourth Precinct and is scheduled for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip Thursday.