Man Charged After Setting Fire At Bristol Cemetery

The sign outside of Bristol Cemetery on Monday morning. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

A man was arrested after police say he set fire to a trash receptacle in a cemetery that was the place of vandalism last week.

Bristol Township police on patrol discovered the fire at 4:23 a.m. Sunday in Bristol Cemetery on Route 13, Sgt. Jason Mancuso said.

The fire was near several headstones inside the cemetery, according to court papers.

An officer smelled smoke and saw a man walking away as he drove closer, according to a police report.

The man was stopped and identified as Justin Atkins, 33, who is unhoused and most recently lived in Bristol Township’s Croydon section, police said.

Atkins told police he intentionally threw several lit cigars into the trash can. He said he saw the fire grow larger and someone began filming him, court papers stated.

Atkins reportedly told an officer he became scared and tried to leave the area.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which contained what appeared to be memorial items, police said.

The trash can was in a grassy area between two headstones, approximately a foot from each, police said.

Bristol Cemetery, which was established in 1882, has made headlines recently and faced backlash online.

The incident follows graves being splattered with paint at the cemetery last week and a dispute over alleged racial slurs earlier this month.

“At this time, both this incident and the previous one are still under investigation,” Mancuso said.

Atkins was charged with institutional vandalism at a cemetery and criminal mischief. He was preliminarily arraigned before District Judge Corryn Kronnagel and released on $5,000 unsecured bail.

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.

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