Tacony Arsonist Gets A Decade In Federal Prison
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Jason Mattis, 51, of Philadelphia was sentenced to 10 years in federal detention after he was convicted of tossing a Molotov Cocktail Device at a house in the Tacony section on July 1,2022. It was during the evening hours when people were home.
The device exploded and stated a fire on the front porch. The fire extended onto the sidewalk and street, authorities said. Firefighters had to risk their lives to rush to the fire to extinguish it.
Mattis was on parole at the time he set the house on fire. The charge? attempted murder. It’s tough to understate the seriousness of a crime like this, which put the victims, their home, and their neighborhood at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “As his lengthy criminal history shows, Jason Mattis lacks respect for both the law and other people. This sentence keeps him behind bars for years and the public is safer for it.”
“It is remarkable that this family was able to escape with their lives when Mattis set their home ablaze with a Molotov cocktail-type incendiary device,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Arson is a serious, dangerous and often deadly crime. Using the combined capabilities of the ATF-led Philadelphia Arson and Explosives Task Force with the Philadelphia Fire and Police Departments, we will continue to seek justice and keep our communities safe from dangerous arsonists.”
The ATF was the federal agency responsible for the investigation, authorities said.