State Fire Marshals Arrest Baltimore Man for December Vehicle Fire That Halted Train Traffic
HARFORD COUNTY, MD (January 15, 2026) - Deputy State Fire Marshals charged a Baltimore man with setting his own vehicle on fire, which stopped train traffic for hours last month. With the assistance of the Maryland State Police, Darnell Anthony Brown, 53, was arrested early this morning.
At 2:45 a.m. on December 19, 2025, Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company responded to a vehicle fire along the CSX railroad track near the 1100 block of Joppa Road. On arrival, they found a 2010 Cadillac SRX engulfed in flames. The Office of the State Fire Marshal was requested to investigate, and deputies concluded the fire was intentionally set. For safety, firefighters requested that train traffic halt for several hours while they extinguished the fire and investigators examined the scene.
During the investigation, Brown told investigators that he was abducted and his vehicle was stolen; however, Deputy State Fire Marshals gathered evidence that refuted his claims.
Brown was arrested at his Baltimore City home and transported to the Harford County Detention Center. He was charged with second-degree arson, malicious burning, first-degree malicious burning/fraud, obstructing railroad operations, false statement to an officer, and trespassing on posted property.
Brown was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was later released on a $20,000 bond.
###
The
Office of the State Fire Marshal is an agency of the Department of
State Police dedicated to helping protect citizens from fire and
explosion through a comprehensive program of education,
inspection, investigation and fire protection engineering. For more
information on fire safety call 1-800-525-3124, log onto our website at: Maryland State Fire Marshal and/or our Facebook Page.
|
