Man suspected of leaving incendiary devices three times at Maryland firehouse arrested
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2025 2:05 pm
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CAPITAL HEIGHTS, MARYLAND - A man suspected of leaving incendiary devices at a Prince George’s County, Maryland, firehouse three times over the past few months has been arrested.
Slater Chaia, 36, of District Heights, was identified and arrested three days after the release of surveillance video, recorded Aug. 13, showing a man carrying what appears to be Molotov cocktails, and placing one in a mailbox and another on the driveway at PGFD Station 805, in Capitol Heights.
During last Wednesday’s news conference, Prince George’s County police, the county fire & EMS department, the Capitol Heights Police Department, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms didn’t provide details about the two other incidents at Station 805, to avoid compromising their investigation. Nobody was hurt.
Assistant Fire Chief Caroll Spriggs said there had been no other such incidents at any other county fire stations, and Spriggs believes the Capitol Heights station was being specifically targeted in order to intimidate the personnel there.
Saturday morning, an on-duty firefighter noticed a man matching the suspect’s description, across the street from the fire station. Police arrested him without incident.
In connection with the Aug. 13 incident, Chaia is charged with two felonies: possession of a destructive device, and possession of incendiary material with intent to create a destructive device — each carries a maximum sentence of 25 years and a $250,000 fine. He’s also charged with reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.
In a Sunday news release, Prince George’s County Police said Chaia is being held without bond, and that the investigation into the recent cases will continue. Online court records don’t yet reflect his arrest.
https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/ ... -arrested/