A 30-year-old Salt Lake City man who admitted to spreading fuel through apartment stairwells and causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage to draw police attention over his missing dog was ordered to serve three years of probation. Jonah Singer had faced up to 15 years in prison for attempted aggravated arson stemming from the December 26, 2025 incident, but a plea deal reached earlier this summer spared him active prison time in favor of supervised probation and mandatory mental health treatment.
According to KSL News, Third District Judge Patricia Kuendig ordered Singer to serve three years of probation and suspended the statutory prison terms tied to his convictions, which included one to 15 years for attempted aggravated arson and zero to five years each for two property-damage counts. Singer pleaded guilty in the case on June 8, admitting he took a substantial step toward using fire to damage a livable building. Kuendig also told Singer that completing probation could allow him to petition for a reduction in the severity of his convictions.
Police say Singer damaged the Salt Lake Crossing Apartments at 470 W. 200 North and the nearby Citizen West Apartments at 255 N. 500 West on December 26, spilling gas from the first to the seventh floor of a stairwell and throughout an apartment-complex lobby. He also damaged a coffee shop inside the Salt Lake Crossing lobby, smashed three large pane glass windows, damaged a security fence, and caused harm to three cars, per the station's report.
What Police Found at the Scene
Responding officers found abandoned clothing inside the building and eventually located Singer screaming from a second-floor balcony, according to Gephardt Daily. The outlet reported that officers documented broken Christmas displays, damaged furniture, and dog biscuits scattered in a fountain, alongside a blue metal canister labeled fuel denatured alcohol. Singer was shirtless and wearing only black undergarments when police took him into custody, the outlet reported.
Police estimated the lobby-floor damage alone at $45,000, per KSL, on top of the smashed exterior windows and the three damaged vehicles. When investigators asked Singer whether he intended to start a fire with the denatured alcohol, he told them, “In a sense, yes,” according to KSL. Singer reportedly told police he lacked a phone and had asked another tenant to walk his dog before becoming distressed that the animal would not be returned, prompting the chaotic scene meant to summon emergency responders.
A Sharply Reduced Set of Charges
Charging documents filed in Third District Court in late December showed prosecutors originally brought 14 criminal counts against Singer, including the first-degree felony version of attempted aggravated arson, six burglary counts, seven property-damage counts, and a misdemeanor assault charge. The June plea deal dismissed 11 of those counts, among them two counts of burglary of a dwelling, a third-degree felony burglary count, the assault count, and multiple property-damage counts spanning losses from $500 up to more than $5,000, including one count between $1,500 and $5,000 and two more in that same range along with two counts over $5,000, per the station's report.
Under Utah Code § 76-6-103, aggravated arson is classified as a first-degree felony for intentionally damaging a habitable structure by fire or explosives, while an attempt lowers the charge to a second-degree felony carrying a one-to-15-year statutory prison sentence, according to FindLaw. Singer was ultimately charged with and pleaded guilty to that second-degree felony, along with two counts of property damage causing losses over $1,500 and under $5,000, itself a third-degree felony under Utah law.
Probation Terms and a Possible Move Out of State
As part of his sentence, Singer must continue medical treatment and medication compliance throughout his probation. Judge Kuendig's reference to a future reduction in conviction severity points to what Utah courts call a 402 reduction: under Utah Code § 76-3-402, defendants who complete probation and pay court-ordered restitution can petition a judge to lower their conviction by one degree if doing so serves the interest of justice, according to the Utah State Courts.
Singer may also relocate to New Jersey during his probation, but Utah's Adult Probation and Parole must first approve the move. Any such relocation requires administrative evaluation under the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision, a nationwide agreement that tracks supervised probationers moving across state lines, according to the Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision.
Local Context on Mental Health Response
The case underscores the kind of behavioral health crisis Salt Lake City police increasingly encounter on emergency calls. The Salt Lake City Police Department operates co-responder units within its Community Connection Center, pairing social workers and licensed mental health professionals directly with officers responding to 911 calls involving behavioral health crises, according to the Council of State Governments Justice Center. Mayor Erin Mendenhall appointed former Utah Department of Corrections executive director Brian Redd as police chief in February 2025, emphasizing collaborative strategies addressing the overlap between crime, mental health, and social services in the capital city.
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