Neighbor With Crack Pipe Set Fire To Couple's Occupied Coram Home, DA Says

By Michael Mashburn From Daily Voice

A Long Island couple escaped their home before watching flames tear through it – and prosecutors say the man who lit the fire lives just steps away.

Altariq Nixon, 43, was indicted on arson and related charges in Suffolk County Court Tuesday, Nov. 25, in connection with a late-night house fire on Glenmore Lane in Coram.

The fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13, when the homeowner smelled smoke coming from the garage and evacuated the house with his wife, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Once outside, the couple watched flames spread through the residence as multiple fire departments worked to contain the blaze. The home sustained significant damage.

Surveillance video collected by the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad shows Nixon, who lives nearby, approaching the side of the home and trying for several minutes to ignite a pile of leaves and debris, prosecutors said. The flames eventually took hold, spreading to the residence.

A short time later, a Suffolk County Police officer reportedly spotted Nixon about 350 feet from the burning home. He was found with a crack pipe and a lighter before being taken into custody, prosecutors said.

In court Tuesday, Nixon was formally charged with second- and third-degree arson and criminal possession of a controlled substance. A Suffolk County Judge ordered him held on a $500,000 bond. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count.

Suffolk County DA Raymond Tierney called the incident a “potentially deadly situation,” that could’ve ended in tragedy.

“I am relieved that despite the damage, the occupants were unharmed, and I am thankful to the first responders that acted quickly to contain the fire and apprehend the person allegedly responsible,” he said.

Investigators declined to speculate about a motive and offered no information about Nixon’s condition at the time of the fire.