Westbury man set fire to East Garden City hotel room, police say

A man was arrested and charged with arson after police said he lit a fire in his room at the Red Roof Inn in East Garden City.

An investigation by Nassau County Arson Bomb Squad detectives led to the arrest of Kristopher Kaufman, 39, of Westbury, on Wednesday just after midnight. Police said Kaufman was found hiding in the shower in a nearby room. He was charged with second-degree arson.

Police said that officers responding to a 911 call reporting the incident on Dibblee Drive found fire damage to the floor of the room where Kaufman was staying and determined that gasoline had been poured onto the floor and set on fire. Any possible motive for the incident was not immediately clear.

No information was available on Kaufman's arraignment, scheduled for Wednesday in First District Court in Hempstead.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”