Credit: Falls Police
The Falls Township man that police say started three fires at the Restoration Church in the Pinewood section of Levittown has officially been charged for his crimes.
John P. Serina Jr., 33, has been charged with four arson and vandalism related felonies, six misdemeanors and two summary charges regarding the April 19 incident. Serina, who was arrested by police after becoming a suspect almost immediately, admitted to a series of crimes throughout the Pinewood and Lakeside sections during questioning.
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According to police, Serina lit the church’s cross on fire, before lighting the playground on fire and throwing a bottle of gasoline through a window. Serina also admitted to being responsible for a slew of vandalism style crimes throughout the area; including slashing 33 tires throughout Pinewood on May 16, vandalizing Walt Disney Elementary School (once on May 21 and again on June 9), vandalizing the Pinewood Pool (once on May 21 and again on June 10), and firing a pellet gun at a parked car.
As noted in a probable cause affidavit, a search warrant of Serina’s vehicle revealed he was in possession of a multi-colored glass pipe, which tested positive for marijuana residue, cut drinking straws, containing suspected drug residue, and a blue prescription bottle with no label, which contained two small green tablets consistent with 15 mg Oxycodone Hydrochloride.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Serina is on a multi-year state parole, slated to end in 2025, for a 2008 booze-fueled kidnapping of two teenagers in Levittown. The kidnapping ended with Serina firing a handgun in the air and a police standoff on Post Lane. In the time since, Serina has remained quiet and only had a few traffic-related interactions with officers, police said.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
