Police say a Penn State student used a dust cleaner can and a lighter to ignite an elevator door, causing two South Halls dormitories to be evacuated.
Justin M. Deinema, 19, was arraigned Friday and faces two felony charges of arson and risking a catastrophe, as well as two misdemeanors of criminal mischief and false alarms, Penn State Police said.
Witnesses told police Deinema, of Hilton Head, S.C., used an aerosol dust cleaner and lighter to spray an elevator door in the lobby of Stephens Hall in flames at about 3 a.m. on Oct. 4, according to court documents.
Deinema told a friend a few days after the incident that he was responsible for the incident and was using the aerosol can and lighter "like a flamethrower," police said.
The lobby connects Stephens and Hibbs Hall, so both buildings were evacuated when the fire alarm went off. A black soot
substance was on the elevator door, police said. There was
no other reported damage.
Another witness told police Deinema appeared "to be drunk and was acting out," police said.
Authorities say Deinema denied allegations when officers interviewed him Thursday night, telling officers he had been in his dorm room.
But he later said he was responsible for the incident after police checked his ID+ card access records, which did not match his chronology of events, police said.
