San Diego
A 21-year-old San Diego man was arrested Wednesday in connection with arson fires at two Bay Park churches, the Fire Department’s Metro Arson Strike Team said.
Alvan Sylvestre was arrested about 1:30 p.m. at his home in the 2700 block of Cowley Way, said Capt. Jeff Carle of the Metro Arson Strike Team. Strike team investigators took Sylvestre into custody after a search of the residence recovered items linked to last week’s fires, Carle said.
Sylvestre is believed to be responsible for two early-morning blazes last week that did more than $500,000 damage to St. David’s Episcopal Church and Pioneer Unity Church of Christ. Both churches, within blocks of each other in the Bay Park neighborhood of Clairemont, were deliberately set on fire within 48 hours of one another.
Sylvestre had been under surveillance, Carle said. He would not elaborate on what evidence had been found at the crime scenes or at Sylvestre’s home.
Sylvestre was held in County Jail.
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