Man arrested in West Hempstead after torching apartment building

A man was arrested on Thursday at the Capri Motor Inn in West Hempstead after he allegedly torched an apartment building in Hempstead.

According to detectives with Nassau County Police's Arson and Bomb Squad, Dennis Sibert, 49, who has no known address, went to the residence of a 60-year-old woman on Union Place in Hempstead on Tuesday around 9:50 p.m.

According to police, Sibert allegedly struck the building with an incendiary device, causing the building and ground to ignite. The Hempstead Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. The building has six separate apartments and 17 people were present at the time. No injuries were reported, police said.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office was called to the scene to investigate.

Sibert was later located on Thursday at the Capri Motor Inn on Hempstead Turnpike and taken into custody at 2:00 a.m.

Sibert was charged with first-degree arson and six counts of criminal contempt. He was scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead on Thursday.