CAUGHT “RED HANDED” ON VIDEO

Elyria – For weeks business owners have been concerned about a rash of dumpster fires that have been occurring in Downtown Elyria and just north of downtown in the late evening hours.
Dumpsters behind Moss’ Steakhouse, McDonalds downtown, the Old County Courthouse, Subway on Cleveland Street, Smitty’s on East Bridge and BP next door have been just some of the targets, some multiple times. Usually when there was one another would follow shortly thereafter.
Elyria Police and Elyria Fire Officials have been investigating the arson fires and with the help of a local business owner who pointed a surveillance camera at their dumpster the suspect was captured late Wednesday night.
Officials working with an image of suspect captured on the surveillance camera staked out the downtown area Wednesday night and when the call came in for a dumpster fire on Tremont near Moss’ they began looking for their man. Sure enough 48 year old Thomas Fagan of Elyria was standing nearby watching and was nabbed by Police.
Fagan has admitted to setting several fires and authorities are continuing to investigate if any were copy cat fires.
Downtown merchants gathered after Fagan was arrested and said they were relieved. They were concerned the suspect might have grown tired of small trash fires and upgraded to structures.
At this point Fagan has been charged with two counts of Arson.


TMC NEWS Photo by BRIAN WOODS