NEARBY: Man Who Drove 700 Miles To Firebomb Home Gets Jail

A Michigan man who drove more than 700 miles to carry out an arson attack that destroyed a home was sentenced Thursday to a long term in state prison.

Harrison Jones, 22, of Rockford, Michigan, appeared before Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Matt Weintraub and pleaded no contest to six counts of attempted homicide and two counts of aggravated animal cruelty. Jones pleaded guilty to the remaining charges, including arson and risking catastrophe.

Weintraub, who noted the defendant would receive no credit for time served, sentenced Jones to 20 to 40 years in a state correctional facility. In addition to the prison term, Jones was ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution for the destruction of the property.

From the bench, Weintraub described the targeted attack as a “nightmare” for the victims.

The case centered on the Feb. 10, 2025, pre-dawn blaze at a home in the 5200 block of Merganser Way in Bensalem Township.

Investigators said Jones, motivated by an online relationship and drove from Michigan to the residence and ignited an accelerant.

The resulting explosion leveled the rear of the home and trapped six people inside, authorities said.

While the residents were forced to jump from second-story windows to escape the flames, the home was totally destroyed, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials said the homeowner’s two dogs were killed in the fire.

According to authorities, the investigation found a connection between a male resident of the Bensalem Township home and a woman in Michigan with whom the local man had recently begun an online relationship.

The woman had planned to visit the man in Bucks County, authorities said.

Detectives learned that Jones, who was an ex-boyfriend of the Michigan woman, drove her to Pennsylvania as a friendly gesture and later launched the attack, authorities said.

“This sentence is a testament to the tireless work of Bensalem detectives and Deputy District Attorney A.J. Garabedian, who ensured that a dangerous individual was held accountable for a truly terrifying act of violence,” Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan said in a statement.

At the sentencing hearing, the victims testified about the terror of the night.

One victim told the court that the smoke was so thick she was blinded and “ready to accept” death before her father managed to lead her and her brother to safety.

The family also paid tribute to their two dogs, who were the first to alert the family to the danger and gave them the heads up needed for the occupants to flee.

“Physical wounds heal, private property can be replaced,” Weintraub said during the proceedings. “But pets can never be replaced, and trauma can never be erased.”

The judge spoke of the calculated nature of the crime, noting that Jones’ actions were coordinated over several hours as he crossed state lines.

Detectives tracked Jones’ 2021 Volkswagen Passat using a combination of neighbor security system footage and automated license plate readers data.

When Michigan authorities apprehended him, Jones still bore visible burn marks on his arms from the explosion he had triggered days earlier, the district attorney’s office said.