Man Who Set Fire During 2020 Unrest In Philadelphia Sentenced

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia man who set fire to a West Philly building during the unrest in 2020 was hit with a federal prison sentence recently.

United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said Tyrone Wise, 34, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for setting fire to a West Philadelphia building.

In September 2024, Wise pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce.

Wise admitted that at about 8:49 p.m. on May 31, 2020, during both lawful protests and unlawful civil disturbances in Philadelphia, he intentionally set fire to the SunRay Drugs Pharmacy located on the first floor of 25 South 60th Street in West Philadelphia.

The blaze caused extensive fire, water, and smoke damage to the pharmacy on the first floor and throughout the remainder of the building, which included a basement, and apartments on the second and third floors.

The fire resulted in $1.2 million in damage and caused the SunRay Drugs at that location to close.

"Tyrone Wise’s actions were incredibly dangerous," Romero said. "He set this fire with no regard for the two apartments upstairs and any people who might be in them, the potential for the flames to spread to adjacent buildings, or the risks to first responders who would have to fight the blaze. Arson threatens lives and communities, and my office will continue to work with our investigative partners to prosecute these offenders and hold them fully accountable."