Rafiqul Islam, the landlord who allegedly set fire to his family home rental property in Brooklyn with eight occupants inside, faces attempted murder, arson and related charges, the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a press statement on Thursday.
Gonzalez said the incident happened in September over a dispute over unpaid rent.
The DA's office said 66-year-old Islam had previously allegedly threatened to set the property occupied by two adults and six children on fire.
Islam also allegedly left a dead cat outside the rental apartment.
The Bed-Stuy native appeared before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a 59-count indictment in which he faces first- and second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree attempted assault, second-degree attempted arson, third- and fourth-degree arson, first- and second-degree reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child.
The DA's office said Islam owns 212 Forbell St., a two-story apartment in Cypress Hills.
He said the apartment, built in 1920, had no fire escape. It said the incident happened at about 5:17am.
A neighbor from the second floor was the first to witness smoke and fire come out of the building's stairwell, the only point of entry and exit.
The family was forced to exit the apartment through a window while neighbors, who stood 20 feet below, caught the minor children, aged 1-8-years-old.
Two adults jumped off the building before alerting 911. The DA's office said that the flame was so massive that it required 55 firefighters to extinguish. The family received treatment for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.
Police arrested him in October after camera footage placed Islam directly at the scene.
Gonzalez said it was miraculous the family survived.
"We will now seek to hold the defendant accountable for this allegedly deliberate and unconscionable act of arson," Gonzalez said.
Islam will appear in court on Jan. 31.
