BROOKLYN — A New Jersey man confessed Monday to breaking into his girlfriend's Boerum Hill apartment and setting a fire that left five people hurt, including four children, police sources said.
Thaddeus Boone, 22, of Newark, was charged with five counts of attempted murder, four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, arson and burglary for starting a blaze in his girlfriend's fifth-floor apartment in Wyckoff Gardens at 130 Third Ave. near Baltic Street about 2:15 a.m. Sunday, police said.
Boone confronted his girlfriend, the 18-year-old sister of the children, accusing her of cheating on him.
Boone left, but then he returned to the apartment and went into one of the bedrooms, where he used a lighter to set fire to clothing and the curtains, according to sources and the criminal complaint from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.
Boone was arrested Sunday and hit with a temporary order of protection commanding him to stay away from his girlfriend, court records show.
He was held without bail and is scheduled to return to court on March 21.
Firefighters rescued an unconscious 6-month-old baby boy, who was lying in a carriage in one of the apartment's bedrooms, as well as an 8-year-old girl who was in another bedroom, the FDNY said. The two children were taken to local hospitals in critical condition, the FDNY said.
Another infant, who was almost 2 years old, suffered serious injuries in the fire, while a 14-year-old child and an adult suffered minor injuries, the FDNY said.
Boone's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
