Murder, Arson Charges in June 2021 Montgomery House Fire Death

A fire in the Town of Montgomery that started in the late hours of Wednesday, June 9th and burned into the early morning hours of June 10th 2021 left one victim dead.  On December 17th, an indictment filed by an Orange County Grand Jury charged a Montgomery man with crimes associated with that night.

On December 8th, 32 year old Ryan Veloce of Montgomery was arrested and charged with Murder in the Second Degree and Arson in the First Degree as a result of his involvement with a fire at 22 Barron Road in the Town of Montgomery in June.  The owner of the residence, the victim, died as a result of smoke inhalation after he had been rescued from the fire.  During the early hours of June 10th, firefighters rescued a man from the living-room of the home and administered medical aid.  An ambulance transported the man to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.  Veloce is being held in Orange County Jail without bail, pending his arraignment.

Reports allege that Veloce had slept overnight at the Montgomery residents the night of Wednesday June 9th, and intentionally killed the victim by setting fire to the home while three people slept inside.  Allegations indicate that Veloce ignited the fire using a flammable liquid that he poured on the floor of the bedroom he had been sleeping in.  Further allegations indicate that he left the house after eating the fire, even though he knew three people were asleep inside.  Two of those three people managed to escape through windows, both survived.

The Orange County District Attourney announced that in addition to the Murder in the First Degree charge, Veloce has also been charged with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree: One count alleges that Veloce intentionally killed the man, and the other alleges that the deceased died as the result of Veloce committing the crime of Arson.

Additionally, Veloce has also been charged with two counts of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree and two counts of Arson in the Second Degree.

The Town of Montgomery Police Department led the criminal investigation with aid from Orange County Fire Investigators, the Orange County Sheriff's Office with help from a specially trained flammable liquids sniffing dog, the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, New York State Police Montgomery Barrcks and the Orange County District Attorney's Office.