Man Set Destructive Eastern PA Fire To 'Kill The Spiders': Police

POCONO PINES, PA — A man who repeatedly set a home on fire in eastern Pennsylvania Monday and eventually damaged multiple homes was trying to "kill the spiders," police said.

Sean McDermott, 36, a resident of East Moriches, New York, was arrested in New York City Friday, according to 6ABC and Fox56.

The incident occurred at around 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 23 at a home on Uncus Lane in Pocono Pines, about thirty miles southeast of Scranton.

McDermott got a blaze started on the floor and then placed a love seat over the top of it, police said.

A neighboring witness extinguished the fire, but McDermott kept relighting it, according to authorities, supposedly in an attempt to end the arachnid life.

Eventually the fire began to spread, consuming the home and causing severe damage to several other adjacent townhomes, according to officials.

McDermott fled the scene in a U-Haul truck and was wanted for several days before his reported capture.

Firefighters battled the blaze for around eight hours, the Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company said. Crews dealt with high winds, icy conditions, and plummeting temperatures to bring the blaze under control.

"We are proud of the coordinated effort and dedication shown by all responding agencies," the Company shared.

No human injuries were reported. It is not clear to what extent, if at all, any spiders were killed.

McDermott has been charged with aggravated arson, reckless endangerment, and related counts.