PHILADELPHIA — Authorities have charged the owner of a Fairhill pizza shop with lying to federal investigators and setting his own business ablaze, triggering a three-story building collapse that killed a 27-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department, according to charging documents unsealed Tuesday.
Authorities allege that Al-Ashraf Khalil and another individual entered the basement doors of Star Pizza at 300 W. Indiana Street shortly before 1:30 a.m. on June 18 and started a fire in the restaurant kitchen, and later lied to investigators about his whereabouts that night.
Khalil, 28, was arrested Friday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, after he had tried to flee to Jordan but was denied entry based on the arson investigation in Philadelphia, officials said.
Officials announced the charges Tuesday, a day after hundreds gathered at a funeral in South Philadelphia to mourn the death of Lt. Sean Williamson, 51. The fire-damaged building collapsed on Williamson and five others just two hours after Khalil allegedly started the blaze.
Two other potential suspects — one allegedly seen on camera with Khalil leaving the shop that night and the other driving a getaway car — were not identified in court records. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and declined to discuss further details about the case.
Officials originally described it as a routine blaze. Eight people were safely evacuated from pizza shop’s upstairs apartments, and within an hour, firefighters had the blaze under control.
After some fire engines left the vicinity, Williamson, four other firefighters, and a city building inspector were still on scene inspecting the fire damage when the entire building collapsed. The others managed to escape with injuries. Williamson’s body was located in the rubble after an hours-long search, leaving the fire department heartbroken and the neighborhood shaken.
Using surveillance footage, authorities said they identified Khalil as the man caught on camera entering the pizza parlor shortly before smoke billowed out of the building. Investigators saw him wearing the same distinctive striped sweatpants and black-and-white slides when he returned to the scene of the alleged crime.
After the building collapse, Khalil told investigators on scene he had been at home in Northeast Philadelphia when he received a call from one of the tenants in the apartments he leased out above the pizza shop. (The building was not licensed to operate its downstairs restaurant and upstairs apartments, city officials later confirmed.)
But using surveillance footage, investigators said they traced Khalil’s getaway car that night and pinpointed him taking that phone call from the tenant just a few blocks east.
R. Emmett Madden, a lawyer representing Khalil, said in an emailed statement: “Mr Khalil had no role in starting the fire of his property and is in awe of the courage of the fireman involved and especially the sacrifice of Lt. Sean Williamson. He gives his condolences to the Lt and his family during this difficult time. He has and will continue assisting fully in this ongoing investigation.”
On June 21, Khalil booked two tickets to Amman, Jordan, after investigators attempted to search his cellphone. He had previously told authorities he did not have any travel plans.
A U.S. Marshal’s task force arrested Khalil at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Khalil allegedly fled the United States last week for Jordan, but diplomatic efforts helped secure Khalil’s return and arrest two days later.
Khalil — who had both U.S. and Palestinian passports — flew to Dubai and then to Amman, Jordan, where he was denied entry and sent back to the U.S.
At JFK, Khalil was placed in handcuffs inscribed with the fallen firefighter’s initials and badge number, officials said.
In addition to operating without the proper rental or restaurant permits, Khalil’s building also appeared to have undergone significant construction work without any recent permits.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam K. Thiel, who placed a pocket-sized photo of Williamson on the podium as he addressed media Tuesday, said intentional fires comprise about a quarter of the 3,500 blazes investigated by the fire department each year, and they’re often deadly.
“Arson killed Lt. Williamson,” Thiel said. “Arson has claimed the lives of numerous other Philadelphians.”
———
(Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this report.)
