Thomas A. Sweatt is a convicted serial arsonist, who was possibly the most prolific arsonist in American history, setting over 300 fires in and around Washington, D.C., most of which occurred in 2003 and 2004. Following his April 2005 arrest, Sweatt admitted to setting fires for more than twenty years. He is currently imprisoned at United States Penitentiary II in Coleman, Florida. When Thomas Sweatt saw an attractive man, he would follow him home, but instead of talking to the object of his affection, Sweatt would set fire to the man’s house or car. For more than 30 years, Sweatt set hundreds of fires in the metro Washington, DC, area. Sweatt often tossed incendiary devices into police cars and then watched them burn. Each time he set a fire, he used a similar gadget—he would fill a milk jug with gasoline and plug the opening with a piece of clothing that served as a wick. The wick burned plastic for more than 20 minutes and after the fire consumed the container, gas fumes escaped and caught fire. In two different fires, elderly women were unable to escape and later died.
Subject: Thomas Sweatt (Serial arsonist) 
Wed Apr 01, 2015 7:01 pm