A Prince Frederick, Maryland, man who films fire-related emergencies for social media content was arrested and charged on Friday on charges related to intentionally setting a vacant building on fire and alerting first responders to the scene, state officials say.
The vacant commercial building was set on fire on Feb. 22 in Newburg, Maryland, according to a release from the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.
The fire was extinguished within a matter of minutes after first responders with the Newburg Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding departments arrived on the scene at about 8:30 p.m.
With the Office of the State Fire Marshal tapped to investigate the blaze, officials determined the fire had been intentional. It wasn’t until investigators traced the initial 911 call about the fire that 21-year-old social media hobbyist Joshua Christian-Stanley Jackson was pinpointed as a suspect.
Also directing investigators to Jackson was a social media post in which the suspect said he discovered the Newburg fire while returning from a DoorDash delivery in King George County, Virginia. Jackson had described the fire’s progression in detail.
Jackson’s DoorDash explanation was later shot down by investigators after it was concluded he had not traveled within Virginia. Jackson subsequently confessed to investigators during an interview, stating he profited off filming emergency response videos for social media.
Investigators also determined that Jackson had previously made 911 calls in Charles, St. Mary’s and Calvert counties in Maryland.
Charges filed against Jackson include second-degree arson, malicious burning and causing a false fire alarm. As Jackson made 911 calls in the past in Charles, St. Mary’s and Calvert counties, investigators are looking to determine whether any additional charges may be filed.
Jackson is being held without bond at the Charles County Detention Center. A bail review hearing is scheduled for Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the Charles District Court, court filings show.
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