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Victim's Family: Fatal Fire Suspect Was "Jealous"
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 23, 2009
Modified Mar 23, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 23, 2009
Modified Mar 23, 2009
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Police believe that arson suspect Caleb Lacey set fire to a Lawrence, Long Island building because he, as a volunteer firefighter, wanted to play the hero, but the relatives of the four family members who died in the blaze say Lacey had another motive. Saul Preza, 19, his mother, Morena Vanegas, 46, and her daughters Susanna, 9, and Andrea, 10 were fatally trapped in their second floor apartment, with the fire set in the stairwell and the building's fire escape removed. Newsday reports that relatives say Lacey, who lived 100 feet from the building, was "jealous" because his girlfriend was interested in Preza: Preza's brother said that Lacey "felt threatened by Saul. That's why he did it. That's the only reason," adding that his brother wasn't interested in the Lacey's girlfriend. Lacey's father, an evangelical pastor, told his church, "The tears that I shed today are not tears of sadness - they're tears of joy because I decided that I was going to turn my issues over to Jesus."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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