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3 teens charged with attempted arson

BY MATTHEW CHAYES | matthew.chayes@newsday.com

10:16 AM EDT, July 19, 2008

Three teens have been arrested on charges that they tossed homemade firebombs at the West Hempstead home and boat belonging to an ex-girlfriend of one of the teens 10 months ago in an attempt to burn them down, Nassau police said.

Although they were lit, the devices, which police called Molotov cocktails, extinguished themselves and did not cause any damage to the Cornwell Avenue home of the ex-girlfriend when they were tossed Sept. 7 about 11:30 p.m., police said.

Police charged ex-boyfriend Steven Cruz, 19, of Sagamore Road, Island Park; Marcus Spocinski, 17, of Colony Drive, Baldwin; and Joseph Torres, 18, of Maple Avenue, Uniondale; with attempted arson. Spocinski and Torres are also charged with criminal possession of a weapon.

Cruz was arraigned Friday on $200,000 bond, $100,000 cash bail, online court records show; the others are to be arraigned Saturday, police say.