Buffalo Man to Serve Time for Arson That Trapped Family Inside Their Lackawanna Apartment

Modified: October 2, 2018 1:35pm

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10/2/2018

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 21-year-old Corey Green of Buffalo has been sentenced by State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns to an indeterminate sentence of 5 to 15 years in prison.

On April 22, 2017, at approximately 3:26 a.m., the defendant intentionally set a fire in the back entranceway of an apartment building on Ingham Avenue in the City of Lackawanna. Four families were living in the building at the time of the fire. 

Three of the families were able to escape unharmed, but a family of five were trapped in the upper rear apartment. Two members of the family were rescued from the apartment by Lackawanna firefighters.

Three children were asleep inside the second-floor apartment at the time of the blaze. A three-year-old boy suffered third-degree burns on his arm and inner thighs. He spent several weeks at Strong Memorial Hospital where he received skin grafts. He will suffer permanent scarring as a result of his burns. A four-year-old girl suffered smoke inhalation, which resulted in a partially collapsed lung. Also, she suffered facial lacerations while escaping from the fire. A 6-month-old girl was also treated for smoke inhalation.

The mother of the children spent several weeks at ECMC in a medically induced coma to be treated for smoke inhalation and severe burns on her back. The father fractured his foot and his spine while escaping from the second story. He continues to use a wheelchair due to his limited mobility.

The apartment was uninhabitable following the arson, and all of the families affected were forced to relocate.

A jury found Green guilty on four counts of Arson in the Third Degree on August 21, 2018.

“I assured the Soliman family that my office would do everything possible to get them justice for the injuries and trauma they endured as a result of this horrific crime,” said DA Flynn. “While Mr. Green was not convicted on the highest possible charge, I hope that the family feels safe knowing that this defendant is behind bars.” 

DA Flynn commends the rescue efforts of the Lackawanna firefighters who risked their lives to save the family. DA Flynn also acknowledges the investigative work of Captains Joseph Leo and Aaron Brennan of the Lackawanna Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Paul J. Glascott, Chief of the DA’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau, and Nathanael C. Kapperman of the DA’s Felony Trials Bureau.