Bensalem Arsonist Sentenced To Prison
by Alex Lloyd Gross
PHOTO BY EMERGENCY NEWS NETWORK- THE BUILDING ON FIRE
Ramiz Duka, 62, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, will spend six years in federal prison after his role of setting his building on fire on December 10 2022. The fire, on Bridgewater Road damaged a book warehouse and caused almost $6,000,000.00 in damage, federal prosecutors said.
As part of the sentence, Duka will have to pay back the money. During this fire, a firefighter was seriously hurt when a ladder collapsed. Duka owned the building and paid people to set it on fire, officials said. . The arson was planned for several weeks, authorities said.
On October 30, 2024, Duka was convicted at trial in federal court of conspiracy to commit malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce.
“Arson is a dangerous crime with dire consequences, as in this case, seriously injuring a firefighter who was serving to protect his community” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “I thank the Bensalem Township Police and Fire-Rescue, U.S. Attorney’s Office and other partners who are helping the ATF-led Philadelphia Arson and Explosives Task Force seek justice and keep our communities safe from dangerous arsonists like Ramiz Duka.”
The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bensalem Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda R. Reinitz. Special thanks to the Bensalem Township Fire Rescue and the volunteer firefighter companies in and around Bensalem that responded to the fire.