Sagaponack man accused of setting fire in Water Mill
Arson investigators visit a home on Dune Road in Water Mill on Saturday, April 19, 2014, where an early morning fire was extinguished by the Bridgehampton Fire Department with the help of firefighters from Hampton Bays to Amagansett. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
A Sagaponack man has been charged with felony arson in connection with an early morning fire that heavily damaged a multimillion-dollar home in Water Mill, officials said.
David Osiecki, 64, was arrested Saturday afternoon and charged with felony third-degree arson for starting the fire that morning on Dune Road, police said.
Police Sunday could not say if there was anyone home at the time of the fire.
Southampton police Det. Richard Gates, citing the "ongoing" nature of the investigation, said he could not comment on a possible motive for the fires or whether Osiecki knew the property owners.
"There are aspects of our investigation that are still continuing and ongoing," Gates said.
A phone call to a listed number at the address went unanswered Sunday.
Suffolk County property records list the owners of the home as Ziel Feldman and his wife, Helene. The couple live in Manhattan. Ziel Feldman is the founder and managing principal of HFZ Capital Group, a real estate investment and development company based in Manhattan, according to the company website.
Fire departments from Bridgehampton, Southampton, East Hampton, Sag Harbor, Amagansett, North Sea and Hampton Bays were called to the scene at 5:49 a.m. Saturday and extinguished the blaze, police said. The house was "partially engulfed" in flames when emergency crews arrived, according to a news release from Southampton Town police.
Southampton Town police detectives, along with the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad, Southampton Town and Suffolk County fire marshals, investigated and arrested Osiecki about nine hours later.
Osiecki was charged with misdemeanor fifth-degree arson for setting a brush fire in the Bridgehampton-Hayground area in a prior incident.
Attorney information for Osiecki, who was scheduled to be arraigned Sunday morning, was not immediately available. Osiecki could not be reached for comment and there was no answer at Southampton Justice Court on Sunday afternoon.
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