A 36-year-old McKeesport man is facing a felony arson charge after emergency crews found a tan Chevy Cavalier fully engulfed in flames on the 2300 block of Highland Avenue late last Friday. Police identified the suspect as Tom J. Lockhart, who was found visibly intoxicated at the scene and was wearing a black T-shirt and gray pants when officers took him into custody.
According to WPXI, a witness told investigators that the man who set the fire walked into a house directly across the street from where the vehicle burned, and that the same witness had seen Lockhart outside the car just before it burst into flames. The witness also said Lockhart told them he did not care about the vehicle. Lockhart later told police he had been to two bars earlier that evening, though he denied any involvement in setting the fire.
Surveillance Footage Central to the Case
A detective obtained camera footage from a neighbor showing a man matching Lockhart's description exiting the house and walking to the passenger side of the vehicle, according to the same report. That footage reportedly captured flames erupting inside the car while the man was standing nearby, evidence police say helped tie Lockhart to the blaze. The man seen in the footage was wearing a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants, consistent with the clothing Lockhart had on when he was arrested.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office is now investigating the cause of the fire. Under Pennsylvania law and county protocols, that office investigates fire origin and cause at municipal request and can call on ATF-certified accelerant detection canine teams capable of identifying trace flammable liquids at vehicle and structure fire scenes. It remains an open question whether accelerant testing or a K-9 detection will factor into the preliminary hearing in Lockhart's case.
Facing Felony Arson and Endangerment Charges
Lockhart faces a felony arson charge along with a charge of endangering persons, and he was also cited for public drunkenness. Public drunkenness in Pennsylvania is graded as a summary offense, carrying penalties of up to 90 days in jail and fines up to $500 for a first offense under Pennsylvania statute, a relatively minor add-on compared to the felony he now confronts. First-degree felony arson under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3301 carries a statutory maximum of up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $25,000, according to Shuttleworth Law P.C., since Pennsylvania grades arson offenses based on potential harm to people or occupied structures.
The endangerment charge, formally known as recklessly endangering another person, is classified as a second-degree misdemeanor in Pennsylvania, punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine, per Sklarosky Law. Those charges apply when conduct recklessly places another person in danger of death or serious bodily injury, a standard that residential vehicle fires can meet given the risk of flames spreading toward nearby homes.
Officials Cite Public Safety in Denying Bail
Officials listed Lockhart as a threat to the community, and his bail was denied outright. Pennsylvania magisterial district judges hold that authority under Article I, Section 14 of the state constitution and Rule 523 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, which allow bail to be denied entirely when a defendant is determined to pose a specific, real, and present threat to public safety, according to the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Lockhart is currently being held at the Allegheny County Jail on Second Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh, a direct-supervision facility that housed an average daily population of 1,839 inmates as of this month.
Lockhart still has options to challenge that detention. Under Pa.R.Crim.P. 529, a defendant denied bail at a preliminary arraignment retains the right to request a formal bail modification hearing before an Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas judge, according to Goldstein Mehta LLC. Common Pleas judges can re-evaluate release criteria and weigh community safety arguments once such a motion is filed in writing.
A City Already on Edge Over Fire Safety
The Highland Avenue block sits within a residential stretch of McKeesport's Christy Park neighborhood, according to local street mapping records reviewed by realtor.com, a setting where a vehicle fire carries heightened risk of spreading to nearby houses. McKeesport, a Mon Valley city about 12 miles southeast of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River, had an estimated population of 17,380 and a median individual income of $24,056 as of 2024, per Data Commons figures reflecting the post-industrial suburb's ongoing economic transition.
This is not the first fire to rattle the city in recent memory. Hoodline previously reported on two fires striking McKeesport overnight last year, and on a blaze that severely damaged Cal's Cantina, both of which drew Allegheny County Fire Marshal investigations. McKeesport currently carries an overall crime grade of C- in 2026 municipal crime analysis data, reflecting elevated rates of property crime compared with state and national averages, though it is unclear whether that broader trend played any role in this particular case.
