Stowe arson suspect arrested in Colorado

Rich Cholodofsky, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read
1

Mar. 11—A McKees Rocks man suspected in setting the Aug. 12, 2021 fire that destroyed a Stowe duplex and caused injuries to four firefighters was captured in Colorado this week, Allegheny County police said Saturday.

Andre Quinones, 30, who had been on the run for nearly 20 months, was detained Thursday.

According to Allegheny County police, authorities received an anonymous tip last month that an arson suspect from Pennsylvania was in Denver and a subsequent investigation confirmed his identity and lead to the arrest. Quinones is being held at the Denver Downtown Detention Center and is awaiting extradition back to Allegheny County, officials said.

Quinones, in August 2021, was charged with nine counts of arson in connection to the blaze that destroyed a duplex on the 1300 block of Island Avenue in Stowe, according to Allegheny County Police.

Authorities said a woman was inside the home when the blaze was set. The other half of the duplex was abandoned.

Four firefighters were injured when a porch collapsed as they battled the fire. One firefighter suffered a leg injury and another sustained five broken vertebrae. All four injured firefighters sustained minor burns, police said.

Quinones was identified by the home's occupant, who according to police, claimed her fiancee had a fight earlier in the day with Quinones at Pittsburgh International Airport and that she had previously been threatened by Quinones.

Police said a white Kia, traced back to Quinones, was spotted by license plate readers and witnesses as being near the fire scene, according to the criminal complaint.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lakewood Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Western District of Pennsylvania, and the Allegheny County Police Department all played a role in the investigation, officials said.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .