Inset: Alex Buley-Neumar (Livingston County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Livingston County Jail in Howell, Michigan (Google Maps).
A man hurled Molotov cocktails at a Michigan family's home after stalking am underage girl he had met on social media, authorities say.
Alex Buley-Neumar, 25, has been charged with manufacturing/possessing a Molotov cocktail and causing damage, aggravated stalking of a minor, using a computer to commit a crime, and accosting a child for immoral purposes, the Livingston County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday.
The defendant faces up to 44 years if convicted on all the charges.
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On Nov. 28, at about 9:30 p.m., an individual on Burson Drive in Brighton Township threw Molotov cocktails at a home, "igniting fires in the residential neighborhood," the sheriff's office said in a press release.
Deputies responded to the scene, and neighbors "quickly extinguished the flames, preventing what could have been a catastrophic outcome," according to law enforcement.
Five Molotov cocktails were recovered, according to Detroit-based ABC affiliate WXYZ, with nearby video surveillance footage showing bright bursts of flame spreading on the residential block before the neighbors put them out.
Deputies surveyed all of the evidence they could find, and Buley-Neumar was identified as the suspect by law enforcement.
"[T]he attack was connected to an ongoing stalking and harassment case involving a juvenile victim over social media platforms," according to the sheriff's office.
"It's really scary to know that someone drove an hour away just to come throw fireballs at someone's house," a local resident told the local TV station.
Buley-Neumar is from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, which is located about 115 miles north of Brighton Township.
With the help of the city's police department, the defendant was arrested on Nov. 29 and brought to the Livingston County Jail.
On Monday, he was arraigned and ordered held on a $1 million cash bond.
The sheriff's office said it expects additional charges to be filed against the defendant. Buley-Neumar is due back in court next week.
Brighton Township, Michigan, is located about 45 miles west of Detroit.