Springfield Woman, 41, Doused Neighbor With Gasoline, Torched Home Twice, Police Say

A 41-year-old Springfield woman is facing a dozen criminal charges after police say she doused a resident of a Villa Parkway home with gasoline and set it ablaze, then returned hours later to torch the same house again before leading officers on a chase that ended with two police cruisers struck and an officer hospitalized.

Aisha Cuffie was arrested around 12:35 p.m. Friday on the 100 block of Buckingham Street, according to the Springfield Police Department, after officers first tried to stop her near Knox Street about 12:20 p.m. and she drove away. As reported by NBC Boston, Cuffie was arrested following a police chase tied to the suspected arson attempts at the Springfield home.

A Pattern That Started With a Recycling Bin

Police say Cuffie's alleged campaign against the Villa Parkway residence began on August 8, when she set fire to a recycling bin outside the home, according to the Springfield Police Department. A resident put out that fire, and police say Cuffie fled from officers who responded to that initial incident, escaping before she could be stopped.

The situation escalated sharply on Friday morning. Police say that around 6:15 a.m., Cuffie doused a resident of the home with gasoline and set a fire, an attack detailed by the Springfield Police Department. Someone at the home extinguished that fire, but according to residents who spoke to police, Cuffie came back roughly three hours later and set the house on fire again, around 9:30 a.m. Firefighters extinguished that second blaze, per NBC Boston's reporting.

A Knife, a Chase and Two Damaged Cruisers

When officers approached Cuffie's vehicle on Buckingham Street to make the arrest, she was holding a knife, according to official statements from the Springfield Police Department. She dropped the weapon before being taken into custody, and no further force was needed to handcuff her.

Getting to that point required a chase through the city that put officers and their vehicles in danger. Police say Cuffie's car collided with two police cruisers during the pursuit, and one officer was taken to Baystate Medical Center for evaluation afterward, as reported by the Newport Dispatch. NBC Boston's Asher Klein, who wrote the original report on the arrest, noted that Cuffie's court appearance date remains unclear, and it is not yet known whether she has an attorney who could speak to the charges.

Twelve Charges, Including Attempted Murder

According to reporting by the Shrewsbury Post, Springfield police formally charged Cuffie with 12 distinct offenses. Those include three counts of arson, attempted murder, malicious destruction of property over $1,200, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon involving the knife, reckless motor vehicle operation, failure to stop for police, two counts of leaving the scene of property damage, and leaving the scene of a personal injury crash.

The charges carry some of the most severe penalties available under Massachusetts law. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 266, Section 1, willfully and maliciously burning or attempting to burn a dwelling house is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in state prison, or up to 2.5 years in a house of correction, along with fines as high as $10,000, according to the Massachusetts Legislature. The statute applies whether or not the dwelling was occupied at the time.

The attempted murder charge carries its own steep exposure. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 16 sets a penalty of up to 20 years in state prison, or a fine of up to $1,000 combined with as much as 2.5 years in jail, per the Massachusetts Legislature. Separately, failing to stop for a uniformed police officer, as Cuffie is accused of doing on Knox Street, is prosecuted as a criminal offense under Chapter 90, Section 25, carrying a mandatory fine and a criminal record rather than a simple traffic citation.

A Recurring Hazard for Springfield Officers

Friday's crash-filled pursuit echoes other recent cases in the city. In June 2025, Springfield police arrested a suspect on I-291 after a chase in which the driver struck two cruisers and sent an officer to Baystate Medical Center, according to prior Hoodline reporting on that chase. That case underscores how vehicle pursuits remain a recurring hazard for officers responding to calls across the city.

Springfield's Arson & Bomb Squad has also handled targeted property fires before. In May 2025, the unit used an Arson K9 to investigate a deliberate fire that destroyed a shed and damaged a home on Kamuda Street, leading to arson charges against two residents, Hoodline previously reported. Cuffie's case now joins that history as one of the more serious arson investigations the department has pursued in the past two years, given the alleged targeting of a single home and the presence of a victim doused in gasoline.

Key details remain unresolved. It is not publicly known what relationship, if any, Cuffie had with the residents of the Villa Parkway home, nor the current condition of the person police say she doused with gasoline. The discharge status of the injured officer and Cuffie's formal arraignment date in Springfield District Court have also not been made public.