Man Tries To Blow Up UWS Brownstone After Fight With Wife: NYPD

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An Upper West Side man is facing charges for cutting a gas line in the basement of his brownstone in an attempt to blow the home up, an NYPD spokesman said.

The 52-year-old man — who has not been identified — was arrested and charged with arson, an NYPD spokesman said. The man is accused of cutting a gas line in his West 94th Street brownstone, causing a small explosion and a fire to break out, police said.

Firefighters responded to the home, located between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, an FDNY spokesman said. The basement fire was brought under control shortly before midnight and the man was transported to St. Luke's hospital suffering minor burns to his leg, an FDNY spokesman said.

The man was released from the hospital and transferred to police custody, an NYPD spokesman said. During questioning, police discovered that the man attempted to blow up the home due to a recent falling out with his wife, police said.

The 52-year-old was the only person inside the home at the time he started the fire, an NYPD spokesman said.

Photo by Google Maps street view