East Flatbush man sentenced to 10 years in prison for reckless arson act

October 24, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

255 East 95th St., Brooklyn: The site of a malicious arson incident orchestrated by resident Sedgrick Jacob, leading to injuries for eight tenants and a firefighter.
Screenshot via Google Earth

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District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced a 10-year prison sentence for an East Flatbush individual, Sedgrick Jacob, 32, following a devastating fire that he initiated, leaving eight tenants and a firefighter injured.

The arson, which occurred in May of last year, engulfed three apartments in the building situated at 255 East 95th St. It caused severe injuries, including bone fractures and smoke inhalation.

“This senseless early morning attack endangered numerous children and adults, leading to some life-threatening injuries,” Gonzalez said. “Thankfully, the victims have recovered. Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for his criminal actions.”

The defendant appeared before Judge Jane Tully of the Brooklyn Supreme Court earlier Monday, where his decade-long sentence was decreed, following his guilty plea to first-degree attempted arson on October 3, 2023.

According to the investigation led by the District Attorney’s office, on the fateful day, Jacob set ablaze a mattress in his first-floor apartment around 4:48 a.m. and subsequently fled the scene. The flames quickly found their way to a second-floor apartment, barring the primary escape route via the fire staircase.

This forced a woman, 48, and a man, 25, to leap from a window, resulting in fractures. Another resident, a 23-year-old woman, endured severe smoke inhalation requiring intubation.

In a neighboring apartment, a family comprising a 49-year-old man; three children aged 3, 7, and 11; and other members were rescued with the help of passersby and firefighters, although not without suffering from smoke inhalation and minor burns.

However, a 36-year-old man wasn’t as fortunate, finding himself trapped in his first-floor apartment. The entrapment resulted in burns to his feet and heavy smoke inhalation, necessitating intubation. A firefighter responding to the emergency also sustained burns, landing him in the hospital.

The unfolding horror was captured on the building’s video surveillance, showing Jacob making an exit post ignition, only to return to spectate the rising smoke before fleeing the scene once again.