Volunteer Firefighter Charged with Arson in Long Island Blaze

BY Tim Persinko And Samuel Goldsmith
New fire department recruit was suspended prior to being charged; department officials remain mum on reason why.
A Long Island volunteer firefighter doused an apartment staircase with gasoline and set the building ablaze - killing four - in a twisted attempt to become a hero, prosecutors charged Saturday.
Caleb Lacey, 19, a new recruit to the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department, was charged Saturday with arson and four counts of murder in the Feb. 19 fire, which killed a North Lawrence woman and three of her children.
Immediately after he set the early morning inferno, Lacey raced to the firehouse a half-mile away and waited for the emergency call to come in.
"He was one of the first responders on the fire truck," said Nassau County detective John Azzata.
"The suspected motive is what arson experts call 'hero' or 'vanity' - to be the savior and appear to have saved individuals," Azzata said.
But Lacey started the fire in the building's only staircase, blocking the escape route and dooming Morena Vanegas, 46; her son, Saul Preza, 19, and her two daughters, Andrea, 13, and Susanna, 9. Lacey - who reportedly made a videotaped confession - lived just 100 feet from where he set the fire and knew the kids.
"I can't believe that he did this because he was a friend of the family," said Vanegas' sister, America Chavez. Chavez said he even attended the wake, shook family members' hands and offered his support. "How can someone be so cold-blooded?" she said.
Vanegas' two other children - Leonel, 9 and Eddie, 12 - as well as their father, Edit, 42, survived by jumping out a window as flames engulfed the building.
"I am very, very sad," said Leonel. "Why would he do a stupid thing like that?" Lacey was held without bail Saturday after his arraignment, where a brief altercation occurred between his family and the Vanegases, witnesses said.
Lacey started as a probationary firefighter in May 2008. His duties included assisting other firefighters by rolling out hoses.
"Mr. Lacey's background check indicated no activity which would have disqualified him from service," the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department said in a statement.
Lacey was suspended shortly after the fire for an unrelated incident, said cops, who would not provide specific details.
The fire took place just doors away from the Outreach Church of God in Christ, where Lacey's father is the pastor.
After the fire, the Rev. Richard Lacey helped residents of the damaged building collect their belongings. He was not available for comment Saturday.