By Paul Shapiro
He was a volunteer at the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department with what police described as a “hero complex.” He was at the scene of the fatal fire, and rolled out hoses for those heading inside the building at 232 Lawrence Ave.
Caleb Lacey, 19, of 212 Mill St., is now being held without bail after being charged with first-degree arson and four counts of second-degree murder.
“It appears that his vanity, or hero complex, is the motive,” said Detective Lt. Kevin Smith, a Nassau County police spokesman. “For whatever reason, he set this fire to come off as a hero. Tragically, in his attempt to be a hero, four people lost their lives.”
Lacey, who shortly after the fire was suspended by the department for an unrelated incident, is accused of dousing the only stairwell in the building with gasoline, setting the fire and heading to the firehouse, police said. His plan, officials explained, was to respond to the fire, save those inside the two-story structure and extinguish the flames. Before his arrest, police were aided by the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Va., which worked up a psychological profile of the arsonist.
Morena Vanegas, 46, her 19-year-old son, Saul Preza, and daughters Andrea and Susanna Vanegas, 13 and 9, died in the blaze.
While “hero complex” is not a recognized psychological disorder, an increasing number of people have been described as suffering from it. “Through our investigation, our subject ... apparently had this need to be or desire to be known as a hero — something that is known as a vanity-type complex,” Smith said. “In this personal case, he saw the need to be a hero and set this fire and wait for the fire alarm to go off so that he would respond and help in putting out the fire. That’s basically where we are and what we believe to be his motive behind his setting the fire.”
Smith credited “very good police work” by the county Homicide Squad during the month-long investigation. He also said that the hero complex is not uncommon in volunteers. “Sometimes we see this with volunteer firemen,” Smith said. “Obviously not all the time, but we’ve seen this before. They want to be seen as a hero.”
Lacey was arrested on the night of March 20, and arraigned the next day in First District Court in Hempstead, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted on all counts, he would most likely spend the rest of his life in prison. “We are investigating all potential angles, and won’t be commenting beyond that at this time,” said Eric Phillips, communications director for the Nassau County district attorney’s office.
Lacey returned to Nassau County Court on Tuesday. During the proceedings, his lawyer, Christopher Cassar, claimed that his client was forced to confess to arson during 10 hours of interrogation. "His confession is worthless," Cassar said. "This crime is inconsistent with his personality."
Lacey remains in jail without bail, and is scheduled to make his next appearance in court on April 15.
"The Vanegas family feels like they have justice now that they have arrested someone," said Stuart Kanoff, the family's attorney. "We believe we have a strong case and believe that he will not get out of jail anytime soon."
Morena Vanegas's sister, America Chavez, said the family members feel as if a weight has been lifted off their backs since Lacey’s arrest. "I'm happy that he was arrested," Chavez said. "Our family needs justice."
Evan Nemeroff contributed to this story. Comments about it? PShapiro@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 201.
