Background: The homes of the suspect (left) and the victim (right) on Kempshall Terrace in Fanwood, New Jersey (WNBC/YouTube). Inset: Virginia Cranwell (Memorial Funeral Home).
A man well-known and highly regarded in his New Jersey neighborhood as the "street mayor" was once celebrated for apparently trying to rescue his next-door neighbor from a house fire.
Now, authorities believe he is the one who actually started the blaze.
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William Ahle, 70, has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree burglary, and second-degree aggravated arson, the Union County Prosecutor's Office announced. He was arrested on Wednesday and placed in the Middlesex County Jail.
In the early hours of July 25, a fire broke out at a home on Kempshall Terrace in Fanwood, a small town in north-central New Jersey. Fire crews raced to the scene, but they were unable to save the resident of the home: 82-year-old Virginia Cranwell.
The fire was investigated, and in the probe's initial stages, it appeared that Cranwell's next-door neighbor — Ahle — tried to come to her aid.
"He just looked, and he saw smoke and flames, and then he just went in," Ahle's son, Matthew Ahle, told NBC's flagship station WNBC after the fire was put out. "He apparently opened the bedroom door and all the flames just bursted out, and then he fell backwards, and I guess that's how he got all his burns."
William Ahle was hospitalized with second-degree burns sustained in the fire.
"I'm happy he tried, he tried his best," the younger Ahle added. "Like I said, I can't imagine anyone else who would do that. So, he is the street mayor."
However, as the investigation continued, fire officials "determined the cause of the fire to be an intentional act," and William Ahle was identified as the suspect. The Union County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Cranwell's death a homicide.
Authorities have not revealed what evidence they compiled to form their conclusion nor have they suggested a suspected motive.
"Everybody knows who he is, and, you know, no one has ever had a bad word to say about him," one neighbor told the New York City-based TV station.
"Since the fire, you know, I mean, we all just thought he was a hero," said another community member. "I feel bad for the family. I do, 'cause I really like them."
Cranwell will be remembered "for her extraordinary physical beauty — youthful, graceful, and effortlessly striking," according to her obituary. "Virginia's life was defined by how she made others feel — loved, safe, seen. Her spirit was gentle. Her laughter came easily. Her kindness was instinctive. She created joy in everyday moments-through play, through affection, through simple connection."
