Inset: William Eckman (City of York Police Department). Background: The Walmart the suspect allegedly set fire to in York, Neb. (Google Maps).
A man admitted to setting fire to a Nebraska Walmart while the superstore was filled with customers and staff, authorities say.
William Eckman, 20, has been charged with first-degree arson, terroristic threats, and criminal mischief causing a loss of more than $5,000, several local outlets including Lincoln-based CBS affiliate KOLN reported.
The fire erupted on Sunday.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
It was just before noon when the York Police Department was called to the Walmart in the city. As officers responded, a 911 dispatcher with the city reportedly told them a man was admitting he had set the blaze. That man is alleged to have been Eckman.
The store had to be evacuated and closed as the flames burned.
Officers located Eckman near dumpsters on the property and arrested him.
When law enforcement interviewed the suspect, he allegedly confessed to knowing people were inside the store and took information about the shoppers' locations into account when he began the inferno, local ABC affiliate KHGI reported.
The defendant also mentioned details about the fire that only people who had seen it would know, authorities said.
The resulting conflagration destroyed nearly $15,000 in merchandise, according to police, which apparently did not take into account damages to the store itself.
Law enforcement asked the public to share any information they had on Eckman or the moments surrounding the fire.
The store was reopened on Wednesday.
Eckman was booked into the York County Jail on a $2,500 bond and had his first appearance in court on Wednesday.
York is located in the eastern part of the Cornhusker State, about 50 miles west of Lincoln.
