Warrant: Bridgeport man paid $2K to torch Norwalk barbershop

Jan. 22--NORWALK -- A Bridgeport man charged with setting fire to a barbershop -- just weeks before its grand opening -- told detectives he was paid $2,000 to set the blaze over an "insurance claim," according to an arrest warrant.

Roselio Morales, 42, was arrested Monday night in connection with the Dec. 29 fire that destroyed the interior of a newly renovated barbershop, located at 108 Connecticut Ave.

Morales told police he had been drinking outside his Bridgeport home last month when he was approached by someone he only vaguely knew, according to his arrest warrant.

"He told me some guy wanted to pay money to burn a business down, to get an insurance claim," Morales told police, according to the warrant. "I don't know who wanted the fire set, but the guy offered me $2,000 and said that if 'anyone asks, say El Faru told me to do it.'"

Morales said the other man took him to the business one night to stake out the location, the arrest warrant said. Morales said the man then dropped him off the night of the fire near the barbershop, the warrant said. Morales said the man gave him a gallon of gasoline, a Phillips head screwdriver and specific instructions, according to the warrant.

"He told me the door was unlocked already. He said to make it look like someone pried the door open. He told me when I light the fire, to drill holes in the wall," Morales told police, according to the warrant.

Before leaving, the man gave Morales the $2,000 and a message: "You've never seen me and you don't know anything about me," the warrant said.

Manish Patel, who owns the building, could not be reached Tuesday for comment. Patel said last month that "everything was in order" and his new tenant was expected to soon open the business.

Victor Santiago, who was expected to open the barbershop, also could not be reached on Tuesday.

According to his arrest warrant, Morales was initially linked to the crime by a cellphone he left at the fire.

Norwalk Detective Bureau Commander Lt. Tom Mattera said he could not comment on the case.

"I can't get into the evidence at this time as the investigation is still ongoing," Mattera said Tuesday.

Morales, who does not appear to have a prior criminal record, was charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit first-degree arson. He failed to post the $200,000 bond during his arraignment on Tuesday.

Norwalk police recently assumed the lead in the investigation after the fire department concluded the fire did not start on its own.

Fire Marshal Broderick Sawyer said he also could not reveal much about investigators' findings, but he did admit the fire was "definitely incendiary in nature."

Foul play had been suspected in the case as soon as the day after the blaze, according to Fire Inspector Dale Roos, who oversaw the early stages of the probe.

The building, a one-story, former liquor store, was in the final stages of renovation as a barbershop.

While Roos said the building is believed to be structurally sound, its interior and everything that had been inside were a complete loss. It took 26 firefighters to fully extinguish the blaze, according to the warrant.

The building is owned by a limited liability company controlled by the Patel family. They bought the building in 2005 for $420,000 and ran Norwalk Wine & Spirits there before moving the package store a short distance up Connecticut Avenue where it remains in business today.

The barbershop building was last appraised for about $500,000 and was listed in July for sale for $750,000.

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