By Vinny Vella
The Philadelphia Daily News
PHILADELPHIA — Stephen Pettiway’s love of Facebook helped federal agents track him down.
In a video posted to his page Tuesday, Pettiway, 52, riffs on Pope Francis’ visit and the “martial law” that he says it forced onto the city.
And then he admits to being the suspect in an arson investigation.
“And they trying to discredit my character,” Pettiway says in the video. “They put me on TV saying I, I was a man of interest for arson, the whole nine yards in case you guys didn’t know.”
It’s important to note that in bulletins distributed to the media, investigators provided only a grainy picture of the suspect in a blaze that caused nearly $2 million in damage and displaced 40 residents at a Center City high-rise last month. No name was included.
So, after viewing Pettiway’s footage, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives applied for, and received, a warrant to arrest Pettiway, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.
Pettiway was arrested Wednesday afternoon at a condemned building on 17th Street near Blavis in Nicetown, according to Steven Bartholomew, an ATF public-information officer. Pettiway owns Unity General Contracting, and apparently was hired to help clean up the site as its razing neared.
Now, Pettiway faces federal arson charges after allegedly lighting the fire Sept. 15 on 13th Street near Chancellor.
In the wake of that three-alarm fire, investigators recovered footage from nearby surveillance cameras that show a man walking into the construction site, a basic, wooden shell, according to court documents.
Then, “a fire suddenly erupts seconds later where the male was standing,” and the man is seen fleeing the scene.
Federal agents distributed screenshots from that footage in the media bulletins Sept. 17, along with news of a $5,000 reward for information.
Four days later, the ATF tip line received an anonymous call from someone who recognized the person in the video as Pettiway, according to court documents.
The caller also told investigators that Pettiway’s house burned down “a couple of days” before the Sept. 15 arson.
A subsequent review of Fire Department records revealed that a home on Olney Avenue near 6th Street in Olney had suffered heavy fire damage Sept. 10, the documents state.
Pettiway was listed as living at that address.
ATF agents then met with the tipster, who again identified Pettiway through a review of the surveillance footage. That person said Pettiway was recognizable by the clothing he was wearing, which was similar to what he normally wears while doing contractor work, according to court documents.
There’s no indication that Pettiway was working at the Center City construction site, according to investigators.
Pettiway made his initial appearance in federal court yesterday. He remains in custody pending his detention hearing Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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