Former volunteer firefighter arrested

Staff report

hermitage, pa.

A former volunteer firefighter was arrested Thursday on arson and other charges, city police said.

Eric Trosch, 21, of Lori Lane in Hermitage turned himself in Thursday morning, police said. He was charged with arson, burglary, criminal attempt to commit criminal trespass, criminal mischief and recklessly endangering another person.

The charges stem from an investigation into a May 14 fire at the Eagle Point Condominium community building at 1990 American Way. Police and fire departments were called to the building, which was under construction, at 10:15 p.m. to discover that the fire had extinguished itself after doing approximately $3,300 damage.

Windows were broken, and an accelerant had been used, police said.

Trosch was a member of the fire department and had also just begun a college internship program with the police department, police said.

Trosch was a junior at California University of Pennsylvania, they said.

He was suspended from the fire department Aug. 25 after the department learned of the investigation, fire Chief R.S. Goeltz said in a prepared statement. Reached by phone, Goeltz would not say how long Trosch had been in the department.

Goeltz said the department and its executive board will make no more comments on the advice of its legal counsel.

Police said they filed charges based on physical evidence found at the fire scene, including fingerprints.