NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Two teenagers have been charged with murder and arson following a house fire that happened in Niagara Falls back in July.
The Niagara County District Attorney has charged Damion Ellis and Zachary Preisch, both 18-years-old, with murder in the second degree and arson in the first degree. They will be prosecuted as adults according to Niagara County District Attorney Caroline Wojtaszek.
The two young suspects currently in custody will return to court for a preliminary hearing on Friday. They are being held on $100,000 dollars cash or $200,000 dollars bond.
"There is another individual that we are looking for right now also associated with this case. And will be charged as an accessory," Wojtaszek said.
Authorities say the charges to Ellis and Preisch are in connection with a July 6 house fire that happened on Niagara Street. The fire resulted in the death of Ward Schaal, 52. Authorities say Schaal was trapped in his second floor apartment when the home on Niagara Street was engulfed in flames.
Wojtaszek says investigators determined more about the cause when asked about neighbors' comments that something was thrown into a first floor window of the home.
"I can tell you and confirm that fireworks were at play but the fire inspector basically described it as incendiary fire in their report," Wojtaszek said. "So yes fireworks were in play - that's not the entire picture that we have."
Investigators were also looking into reports from neighbors that there was bad blood between what were described as thugs and transient drug users on the first floor of the home.
"I do believe that there was a dispute between people that are a part of this story... and I don't want to get any more specific than that," Wojtaszek said.
2 On Your Side was on the scene of the fire when firefighters say a neighbor tried to save the victim, first by urging him to jump – which the neighbor told us he was unwilling to do – and then by throwing a ladder up to a rear window.
