A Bristol Township woman is facing charges after fires at her home in June were determined to be arson.
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Catherine Mary Gerretz, 59, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and preliminarily arraigned on 35 charges, including arson, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, harassment, and intimidation of a witness. She came before District Judge Kevin Wagner and was jailed on 10 percent of $200,000 bail.
The woman’s arrest stems from an months-long investigation into fires at Gerretz’s residence in the 20 block of Yellowood Drive in Bristol Township’s Levittown section.
On June 10, police were dispatched to the residence at 3:07 a.m., where they found a fire that Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito later determined was caused by a gasoline-based accelerant. Dippolito also found three additional, smaller incendiary fires at the home later that morning, police said.
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The following day, June 11, police responded to the same address at 1:29 a.m. to find the house fully engulfed in flames, police said.
The June 11 fire badly damaged the woman’s home and also caused damage to a neighboring home on Yellowood Drive, which was occupied at the time, police said.
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Detective Emilyann Maialetti and Detective Timothy McDonald found that there were inconsistencies in Gerretz’s statements to police.
Gerretz told police she was at her son’s apartment on June 10 and returned home and fell asleep on her couch before a neighbor woke her.
License plate reader data and surveillance images show her car leaving the residence at 2:28 a.m., with a neighbor seen approaching the home at 3 a.m.
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In the June 11 fire, Gerretz told police she was at a hotel and returned home between midnight and 12:30 a.m. to get some items, authorities said.
Surveillance footage and phone data contradict the information and indicate she arrived to the area of the home at 1:04 a.m. and left at 1:16 a.m., just three minutes before the fire was recorded on video, police said.
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The complaint said that Gerretz was facing significant financial difficulties, including a pending sheriff’s sale on her property for failing to pay mortgage installments since June 1, 2023.
As of December 17, 2024, the total amount due was approximately $103,057.72, police said.
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An estimate from State Farm to repair or replace the damaged property was approximately $242,905.13, according to court records.
The complaint also includes text messages between Gerretz and her son where she references her financial problems and an upcoming sheriff’s sale.
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On July 19, Bristol Township police began investigating handwritten notes left for neighbors, which were described as harassment. One note told a neighbor, who reported a fire and helped put one out, to “keep talkin’ sh*t.”
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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