MEDFORD, Long Island — A volunteer firefighter was arrested for allegedly starting a brush fire in New York.

Police said firefighter Jonathan Quiles “intentionally” started a fire in the woods on Mount Vernon Boulevard and damaged a 2004 Chevrolet parked nearby.

The fire burned through an area of ​​Twelve Pines Park in Suffolk County on Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters responded Wednesday morning to extinguish hot spots.

This was one of several brush fires in Suffolk County on Wednesday.

It was revealed in court that four witnesses saw the suspect kicking and throwing cotton balls, which they said he set on fire at 15.23. And 15 minutes later, behind a residential area, another witness saw him throwing cotton balls into a fire.

Quiles is charged with arson and reckless endangerment. The Suffolk District Attorney said the charges do not qualify for bail.

“Unfortunately, under New York’s ‘Bail Reform,’ deliberately setting fires in the midst of dangerously dry conditions and the statewide burn ban are not among the crimes eligible for bail, meaning my prosecutors cannot even seek bail on these charges. “We want them to get their act together and deliver common-sense fixes to the broken bail system,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

The Medford Fire Department said they “check members for arson history before accepting them and there is no information to suspect this individual may be inclined to intentionally set fires.”

They said Quiles would be suspended and fired if convicted.

The department said “the incident is being actively investigated by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Arson Team.”

At least one of the victims had a protective order requested by the owner of a 2004 Chevrolet parked nearby that also caught fire.