Man Faces 6 Years In Prison For Bristol Twp. Arson

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA —A Philadelphia man faces up to six years in prison for setting a fire that damaged a Lower Bucks County business and injured a Croydon firefighter, authorities said.

Shayne Holland, 26, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in November to two counts of arson and one count each of reckless burning, criminal mischief, possession of explosive or incendiary material, and disorderly conduct, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.

The Nov. 5, 2023, fire caused more than $1,000,000 in damage to Bucks County Carpet Company, 801 Cedar Ave., Croydon.

Albert Fournier, a captain with the Croydon Fire Co., was fighting the fire from inside the building when the catwalk he was on collapsed. He fell more than 12 feet from the attic area to the first floor and a beam then landed on top of him.

“This case was a true nightmare scenario for Battalion Chief Fournier and his family,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Furber said. “We can all be thankful that he escaped serious injury. It was the decision by one person, the Defendant, to light this fire and create untold destruction and risk to residents as well as firefighters. Today’s sentence recognizes that the split-second decision to light a dangerous fire will result in long and life-changing consequences for the arsonist.”

Fournier, now a battalion chief, and his wife provided victim impact testimony on Thursday.

The investigation found that Holland set fire to a pile of trash next to the Carpet Company building. The fire spread in the building and extended up an exterior wall and into the attic, forcing the evacuation of 10 residents in an attached building.

Holland was identified as the arsonist from surveillance video from nearby businesses with cameras facing the building.

During the investigation, Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito —who also testified Thursday —gathered surveillance videos from multiple nearby businesses.

The videos showed a man, later identified as Holland, walking down State Road and into a gas station.

Police compared those images with other pictures of Holland to confirm he was the arsonist.
Dippolito testified at Thursday’s sentencing.

On Thursday, Holland appeared before Common Pleas Judge Gary B. Gilman who sentenced him to 2 ½ to six years in state prison with a consecutive sentence of four years of probation.