Man drives 700 miles and starts massive fire at home of ex’s partner, PA officials say

A man with “murderous intentions” drove 700 miles to burn down the home of his romantic rival, Pennsylvania officials say.

Harrison Jones, of Rockford, Michigan, is now charged with attempted murder and arson after authorities say he set fire to a home in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 10.

All six people in the home escaped the blaze and were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation, Bensalem Director of Public Safety William McVey said during a Feb. 17 news briefing streamed by WDIV. Two dogs died in the blaze.

McVey said the mother of the Bensalem family heard “suspicious noises” in the middle of the night. She walked out of her bedroom to see a man, who she believed to be her adult son, walk down steps.

That man was later determined to be a stranger to the family, identified as Jones, officials said.

The mother heard more noises at 5:17 a.m. and then discovered a fire in her home’s kitchen and living room, authorities said. She helped evacuate her family, including one member who had to jump from a second-story window.

Authorities identified Jones through surveillance footage and tracked his movements before and after the fire.

He is accused of driving more than 730 miles and arriving at the Bensalem home at 1:25 a.m., McVey said. He sat in his car for several hours before being seen going to the back of the home.

At 5:18 a.m., the footage captured him running back to his car and then fleeing the area. Authorities said Jones was back on the interstate by 5:24 a.m. to begin his drive back to Michigan.

After Jones left the home, smoke was seen coming from the house before there was “an explosion of fire,” McVey said. Firefighters ultimately found the property “fully engulfed in flames.”

“It’s a miracle they all survived, and we credit the mother of that house for taking the action she did to protect her family and ensure they all lived,” McVey said.

Jones, 21, was taken into custody in Michigan and will be extradited to Pennsylvania, authorities said. He denied being in Pennsylvania, but McVey said surveillance footage showed him at a Wawa convenience store in the state.

Investigators determined Jones was “the ex-boyfriend of a 21-year-old female who recently engaged in an online relationship with a 22-year-old son” of the Pennsylvania family, McVey said.

The new couple had not met in person, and the woman was planning to visit him in Bensalem during the week of Valentine’s Day, PhillyBurbs.com reported, citing an affidavit.

Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn called the actions of Jones “incomprehensible.”

Jones faces 13 felony charges and nine misdemeanor charges, according to the district attorney.

Bensalem is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Philadelphia.

This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM with the headline "Man drives 700 miles and starts massive fire at home of ex’s partner, PA officials say."