Newly released bodycam footage shows the moment Providence police caught up with a 46-year-old woman accused of setting her own bedroom on fire, intercepting her in a building stairway as neighbors and officers scrambled to put out flames just feet from her bed. The video captures the nightstand engulfed in fire inside the Prairie Avenue apartment where police say Crystal Abreu had been staying.
Providence police released the bodycam video showing Abreu's arrest, according to WJAR. Officers had responded to the residence at around 1:38 a.m. on October 6 for a report of property damage, and once there were told that a resident had started a fire inside her bedroom. The footage shows the fire burning on a nightstand near the bed as officers and bystanders moved to extinguish it.
As the effort to put out the flames played out, Abreu allegedly tried to slip away. Police say she attempted to flee while officers and neighbors worked to knock down the fire, and officers ultimately took her into custody in the building's stairway as she tried to make her exit. The second floor of the building was evacuated because of smoke, and neighbors and bystanders helped extinguish the fire before it could spread through the structure, according to the same report.
Property Owner Describes a Dispute Before the Fire
The building's property owner told WJAR he was roused from sleep by the commotion that preceded the blaze. He said he was woken up in the middle of the night by a loud dispute between Abreu and another tenant, and the article notes he called police after the confrontation grew heated. The owner also said Abreu allegedly escalated the situation inside her second-floor apartment once officers arrived, though the outlet's report does not detail what prompted the initial dispute.
Abreu is now facing a first-degree arson charge in connection with the fire. She was charged, held without bail, and referred for a competency evaluation at her arraignment, per the same account. She did not enter a plea when she appeared in court, and she is scheduled for a hearing on October 20 in Providence.
Arson Cases Typically Fall Under State Investigators
Arson cases in Rhode Island can draw scrutiny from specialized investigators beyond local police. The Office of the State Fire Marshal maintains a Fire Investigations Unit within its Law Enforcement Bureau, staffed by a chief of investigations and four fire investigators, though it remains unclear whether that unit played any role in this particular case. No information about the fire's cause, the extent of any damage, or whether anyone was injured has been independently verified beyond what officers reported at the scene.
