Officials: 911 call for garage fire came from phone of 17-year-old charged with setting it



Jarvel Goodman



MILWAUKEE -- A 17-year-old from Milwaukee stands accused of setting a garage on fire, and prosecutors said the 911 call regarding the incident came from the young man's own phone.

The fire happened near 25th and Ohio on Monday, Sept. 2.

Jarvel Goodman faces one count of arson of a building.

According to a criminal complaint, police were called out around 8:15 p.m. after the 911 call came in, with the caller indicating he saw someone pouring gasoline on a garage. He offered a description of the home and the individual responsible for the fire.

When police arrived, the homeowners had just returned home. One of the homeowners grabbed a bucket of water and was able to put the fire out. The other homeowner captured video of the fire, which caused approximately $1,000 in damage to the garage and carport. A lighter, notebook paper, and a gas can were found at the scene.

Garage arson near 25th and Ohio in Milwaukee



Garage arson near 25th and Ohio in Milwaukee



Garage arson near 25th and Ohio in Milwaukee



Investigators observed an individual matching the description of the person responsible standing on a walkway near 24th Street and Sunbury Court, later identified as Goodman. When Goodman saw police, the complaint said he said, "I did it. It was me." Goodman was arrested.

The complaint said police called the 911 caller back, and the phone Goodman had rang -- indicating either Goodman or someone using Goodman's phone was the 911 caller.

FOX6 News spoke with one family member who said they didn't know what Goodman was accused of doing.

"We just found out right now. We didn't even know what the charges were for," the family member said.



When asked why he started the fire, the complaint said Goodman "kept saying that he just did not care." He said if someone was home, "it would not have mattered, and he would not have cared." When he was told someone could've died, the complaint said Goodman said "he did not care."