Inset: Matthew J. Demming (Tompkins County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Schwan Drive in Dryden, New York, where Demming allegedly tried to set a woman and two kids on fire (Google Maps).
A 53-year-old New York man tried to light a woman and two children on fire after he doused them and their home in gasoline during a dispute, authorities say.
Matthew J. Demming stands accused of second-degree attempted murder, criminal contempt and aggravated family offense, which are all felonies, along with two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday at a home on Schwan Drive in the town of Dryden, which sits just outside Ithaca. The victim called deputies after Demming allegedly showed up on her front porch, violating an order of protection.
Demming began arguing with the victim with two children present, cops said. He then allegedly grabbed a gasoline can from beside the home and began pouring it all over the woman, the two kids and the home. The defendant then took out a lighter and was going to light them on fire until a witness “intervened and physically removed him,” authorities said.
Cops arrested Demming in the area a short time later and transported him to the Tompkins County Jail, where he is being held on a $200,000 bond. Firefighters responded to the scene and helped decontaminate the victims. They were not physically harmed. The kids’ ages were not provided.
Deputies did not divulge the relationship between Demming and the victims, nor did they detail the ongoing dispute between him and the female victim.
His next court date is not listed.
