16 Year Old Facing Arson Charges In New Hartford

New Hartford Police have made an arrest in a series of suspicious fires over the last couple of months on the campus of the Hillside Garden Apartments on Oxford Road.

Police say the began in dumpsters in the parking lot of the complex.

On June 19, police say the New Hartford Fire Department responded to a fire in a storage closet in the laundry room of one of the buildings that appeared to have intentionally been set.

Again on July 19, a tenant of the same building heard the smoke detector in the laundry room activate. He went to the laundry room to investigate and again found smoke coming from a storage closet.

The tenant then called 911 and the Fire Department responded.

The fire was contained to a wall area in the Laundry room.

A Fire Investigator for the Police Department responded to the scene and an investigation was conducted in conjunction with Fire Department personnel.

The investigation led to the arrest of a 16-year-old boy.  The juvenile was charged with two counts of second-degree arson, a felony.

The teen was arraigned on the charges and is being held awaiting a future court date.

Due to his age, police say his name will not be released.