Chief Jeremy Holmes said the lead investigators “believe the suspect may be responsible for setting fires in other areas around Fernandina Beach. It’s critical that he is caught before someone is seriously injured.”
“The business was closed at the time of the fire, which had multiple points of origin,” Holmes said. “Thankfully, firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system were able to contain it — the situation could have been much worse.”
It’s unclear how much damage was caused, but a phone call to the restaurant confirmed they were still open that afternoon.
Mitchell Aarons, a manager, told News4Jax that his bosses were there all night working on the aftermath. He said the man broke in through the back door and reached for a bottle of alcohol behind the counter before going back through the kitchen and started setting things on fire.
Police Chief Jeffrey Tambasco, whose department is handling the investigation in coordination with the Florida Fire Marshal’s Office, said they responded shortly after 1 a.m. on June 20 to the 1998 S. Fletcher Ave. tiki bar and restaurant. After firefighters extinguished the flames, it was determined through security video that the fire was arson.
A man described as middle-aged with a tattoo on the side of his calf and wearing shots, a T-shirt and baseball cap is seen using presumably a lighter to set an umbrella on fire in a patio area, glancing at it a couple of seconds and walking away. The Police Department said it is believed he lives in the area of First Avenue in Fernandina.
