The RNC has made an arrest in connection with a fire at a home on Bonaventure Avenue in St. John’s yesterday.
31-year-old Alex Hayes, clad in a white jumpsuit, appeared in provincial court this afternoon.
He’s accused of setting fire to at least three properties in downtown St. John’s—two on January 19 involving sheds on Empire Avenue and Fraser’s Lane, and one yesterday on Bonaventure Avenue.
A fourth fire days earlier damaged a shed at King George V soccer pitch, while another in November scorched the canteen in Bannerman Park. No charges have been laid in those cases. All of the locations are within a 5 to 10-minute walk of each other.
RNC publicly released a CCTV image of a suspect in the Bonaventure Avenue fire shortly after the blaze was knocked down late yesterday afternoon.
Police determined the fire was deliberately set and believe the case is connected to other recent incidents of arson in St. John’s. Hayes has been charged in connection with three recent fires, one of which occurred on January 25 and two separate fires on January 19.
He’s facing three counts of arson and three counts of break and enter.
Hayes has been ordered to undergo a 24-hour mental fitness assessment and is scheduled to return to court tomorrow.
BREAKING || 31-year-old Alex Hayes, accused of setting fire to at least two properties in downtown area of St. John’s, appears in provincial court following his arrest earlier today. ?@VOCMNEWS? pic.twitter.com/css9v3tG7h
— Brian Callahan (@briancallahan67) January 26, 2023
