Pennsylvania Woman Who Sang about Fire Charged with 7 Arsons

Police in a Philadelphia suburb say a 19-year-old woman accused of arson was caught on a surveillance camera singing, “The fire department is going to be mad at me.”

Police say Amanda Gessner touched off 7 blazes in trash and brush between 3 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. Tuesday within blocks of where she lives in Upper Darby Township.

Officials say Gessner was witnessed earlier in the evening at a local convenience store singing the ditty about the fire department. Her tune was caught on the store’s surveillance camera.

One fire damaged a home where a family of four was sleeping. They escaped without injury.

Gessner is being held on $100,000 bail, charged with arson and related offenses.

Authorities say they have no reason to believe she is connected to the recent arsons in Coatesville, a few miles away.

Latest Comments

• February 17, 2009 at 12:35 pm

  Since When says:

  I think all the comments regarding "kids" is part of the problem..since when is a 19 year old a kid. Doesn't anyone raise their "kids" to be responsible citizens anymore. Now,... read more
• February 16, 2009 at 1:09 am

  Joe Mama says:

  absolutely brilliant. Wish I'd seen that on 2/13...as I remember, I could've used a laugh that day. Was the song she was singing "Burning Down the House", "We Didn't Start the... read more
• February 13, 2009 at 3:38 am

  gotta wonder says:

  today??? We were out protesting the war in Nam at that age, peacefully, and not by burning anything down fer crying out loud.