14-Year-Old Arrested After Setting Fire to Home While Family of 4 Was Sleeping Inside

A Florida teenager is accused of trying to burn a house down while a family of four slept inside—and investigators say the 14-year-old admitted he was attempting to kill his own friend.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and firefighters were called to a residential fire in the 300 block of Paisley Avenue in Lehigh Acres around 6 a.m. on Saturday, January 3. By the time first responders arrived, flames had already damaged the front of the home.

At the scene, deputies discovered an open five-gallon propane tank near the front door, along with what authorities described as a homemade Molotov cocktail. Investigators said four people inside the home were forced to escape through a window as the fire blocked their exit. Miraculously, no one was physically injured.

As the investigation unfolded, witnesses told police the teen suspect had been parked down the street during the fire. They said he briefly approached the victims, asked what had happened, and then left the area.

The boy was later arrested at his home, where authorities say he confessed to transporting the propane tank, using a gas-filled bottle to ignite the fire, and attempting to kill one of the occupants inside the house.

The suspect now faces a staggering list of charges, including four counts of attempted felony murder, arson, occupied burglary, making a destructive device, and possession or use of a weapon. He has been released into the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice for secure detention.

Body-camera footage shared by the sheriff’s office shows deputies and firefighters responding to the scene, including images of the propane tank and the charred front door of the home.

One of the victims, Namiry Enrique Alvarez, said the experience has left her family traumatized. Speaking through a translator to local media, she said the fear hasn’t faded.

“Even now, days later, I still can’t sleep,” she said. “You relive everything that happened, and you’re afraid it’s going to happen again.”

Alvarez said she and her family barely escaped through a window as smoke and flames overtook the front of the house.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno called the alleged crime horrifying, emphasizing how close the situation came to ending in tragedy.

“This is a juvenile committing a tremendous, horrifying act—trying to kill four people in a residence,” Marceno said. “I’m extremely thankful nobody was hurt and that the suspect is off the streets.”

The investigation remains ongoing as the community grapples with the shocking details of what could have been a deadly outcome.