EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — An Eden Prairie man is charged with arson after prosecutors say he lit his ex-girlfriend's home on fire while several people, including four children, were inside the home.
Prosecutors charged 23-year-old Abdullahi Abdi Abdullahi Jr. with first-degree arson Monday after his ex-girlfriend identified him in several surveillance videos near the area of the fire.
According to court documents, Eden Prairie Police and Fire responded to a townhome fire at a home on the 8500 block of Cardiff Lane at about 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 31. When crews arrived they found parts of the house and garage engulfed in flames, and a man outside the home carrying a child along with two women. A criminal complaint filed against Abdullahi Jr. says the two women were crying and told first responders there was a baby still inside the home.
Firefighters entered the home and were able to rescue that infant. One adult and four children, including the infant, were taken to the hospital. Officials said the infant was in critical condition.
The man told officers that he was home with four children when the fire started. He told police he was sleeping upstairs when he was awakened by the sound of a fire alarm and heavy smoke. He ran out the of the home with three older children, but told officials that he thought that the baby was with the two women, who were not home at the time of the fire.
Officers spoke with one of the women, who said she believed her ex-boyfriend set the house on fire. She identified her ex-boyfriend as Abdullahi Jr., and told officials that he came to her home two days prior and threatened to kill her.
Several surveillance videos recovered from nearby businesses captured a man dressed in black parking a red Jeep in a lot nearby. The suspect is seen exiting the vehicle and grabbing a white trash bag and red gas can from the back of the back of the Jeep.
Videos then show the man walking toward the townhome and approximately six minutes later, he's seen running back to the Jeep holding the gas can. He is seen placing the gas can in the back of the Jeep and speeding off, according to prosecutors.
Investigators traced the Jeep and found it was rented from an Enterprise in Eden Prairie. The man who rented the Jeep told investigators that he lent the vehicle to Abdullahi Jr. on May 28, and then Abdullahi Jr. returned it to him in the afternoon on Friday, May 31, the day of the fire.
Abdullah Jr.'s ex-girlfriend later identified him in the video and told officials that he was driving the red Jeep when he allegedly threatened her on May 29.
The defendant is currently in custody.
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