The Associated Press
NEW YORK — A security guard has been arrested on charges he set fires at two Manhattan hotels where he worked.
New York City fire marshals arrested 30-year-old Mariano Barbosa Jr. of Union City, N.J., on Saturday.
They say he set eight fires at the Yotel Hotel and the Soho Grand Hotel between February 2009 and this month.
Barbosa was director of security at the Yotel Hotel. He previously worked as a security officer at the Soho Grand.
The fires were set in hallways, in stairwells and in front of exit doors. Each fire was quickly brought under control by firefighters.
The Fire Department says Barbosa set the fires to drive business away and “produce a less active work environment for himself.”
Information on an attorney for Barbosa was not available.