Student Admits Setting North Penn Fire, Report Says

The student accused of lighting the massive fire at North Penn has admitted his guilt, according to a report.

The youth, 17, was not identified by police because he is a juvenile.

The fire caused nearly $1 million in damages to the school, largely to the music wing and the instruments there, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said.

According to The Reporter, the student's lawyer said he was "very remorseful," and offered a glimpse into the boy's mental process leading up to the incident:

He said he was having a difficult time handling a medical condition and “he did not intend to hurt anyone,” Deputy District Attorney Sharon Giamporcaro said.

In questions from his attorney, Richard Simon, that might shed light on his state of mind, the youth said that after a paternal uncle died his father became extremely unstable and ultimately committed a crime and is now in jail.

The student had been a member of the marching band, Simon said, but he had a couple of concussions that affected his ability to participate in band and missed a lot of school, causing him to fall behind in his schoolwork

Additionally, the boy's lawyer alleges that he did not attend for the fire to grow out of control the way that it did:

“In hindsight, he did not intend for this to happen,” Simon said. “He thought the papers would burn out and that would be the extent of it.

“He is very remorseful,” Simon said afterward. “He left expecting [the fire] was going out. His favorite activity was playing in marching band. If he could go back, he would undo everything that happened.”

The suspect was caught after a review of surveillance footage, police said.

"This was a very serious fire. Multiple fire companies and police departments responded, and it took some time to put out," DA Kevin Steele said in a statement. "The fire caused extensive structural and smoke damage that will affect the school in a significant financial way."

>>North Penn Evacuated After Fire

Altogether, around 3,000 students and staff were evacuated, and school was dismissed for the rest of the day.

The student will be charged with several counts of arson, institutional vandalism, criminal mischief, risking catastrophe, reckless endangerment, and possession of an instrument of crime, authorities stated.