Man who claimed to try to save woman from deadly New Jersey house fire now charged with her murder
FANWOOD, New Jersey (WABC) — Prosecutors in Union County, New Jersey, announced murder charges against a man allegedly involved in a house fire that killed an 82-year-old woman last summer.
70-year-old William Ahle told authorities that he ran inside the burning home back in July to save Viginia Cranwell.
Now, 5 months later, a neighbor said they saw a SWAT team early Wednesday morning storming Ahle’s home and arresting him as the suspect in setting the fire.
“The guy was in the hospital with a lot of bad burns after he tried to rescue her. I really find that hard to believe,” one neighbor said.
Several neighbors told Eyewitness News they were floored when they found out Ahle had been taken into custody.
“I can just say that I’m shocked. He’s a neighbor, and he seems like a great guy. And he originally helped her. He tried to save her. So it doesn’t make any sense, I just don’t understand,” the neighbor said.
Ahle’s story back in July was that he was walking his dog at 1:30 a.m. when he saw the fire and rushed into his neighbor’s open garage to try to get her out but he was pushed back by heavy flames.
The Union County prosecutor’s office confirmed Ahle’s arrest on Wednesday afternoon.
He was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree burglary and second-degree aggravated arson, according to the prosecutor’s office.
“He was known as the mayor of the street. Because he’s very helpful. He looks out for a lot of people around the neighborhood,” the neighbor said.
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