Volunteer Firefighter Arsonist
In 2023, Adam Ewing (18), a volunteer firefighter from Saltillo, PA, was charged with starting 21 fires. Ewing pleaded guilty to all of the charges. Toilet paper was used to start several of the fires. Typical of many firefighter arsonists, Ewing reported at least one fire and responded to many of the fires with his volunteer fire department. Investigators linked Ewing to several of the fires by matching a distinct rose pattern on the toilet paper used at the fire scenes to the same toilet paper found in Ewing's parents' residence, where he lived. Additionally, he was seen by a neighbor entering and exiting a wooded area shortly before a fire was observed in that area. SWAIT's Ed Nordskog and Scott Fischer consulted on this case.