New York man arrested on arson charge for tampering with natural gas line in Malone, police say

A Malone man is being charged with arson after police said he purposefully damaged a gas line at an apartment complex.

The incident happened on Sunday just after midnight. Police said they received a call about a suspicious man near The Trails at Malone, with the caller saying the man had damaged the inside of one of the buildings.

When officers arrived, they found a damaged natural gas line leaking.

Ultimately, 22 people were evacuated.

Police later arrested James Shepard, 42, on arson, burglary and criminal tampering charges. He appeared before a judge and was released.

Read more: WPTZ