Son with history of starting house fires does it again with parents inside, MN cops say

A man who authorities say has intentionally started fires at his Minnesota home “for attention” has done it again, landing himself in jail, police say.

This time, a fire on Monday, Nov. 14, at John Joseph Swenson’s Saint Paul home occurred with his parents inside, according to a criminal complaint. The parents, both described by officers as “elderly,” escaped the blaze and were hospitalized.

“Where are you?” asked Swenson’s father, calling for his wife who remained in the home full of “thick, black smoke” when firefighters arrived.

The woman was eventually rescued by a St. Paul police officer and carried outside, according to court records.

Interviewed at the hospital, Swenson’s mother said she “thought the house would burn down,” police said.

“She said that she couldn’t breathe and couldn’t see anything and didn’t think she would make it out of the house,” according to the statement of probable cause.

An observant mail carrier called 911 after seeing smoke and fire coming from the home.

When first responders learned of the location of the house fire, they recognized the address because Swenson “had previously set fires there,” the complaint states. During a Sept. 11 fire at the home, Swenson told officers he started it “for attention,” St. Paul police said.

The Nov. 14 fire was also intentionally set, firefighters determined. Investigators said they found heavy smoke and fire damage in the basement, where Swenson resides.

Swenson, 55, was later located by an officer and he told the officer he was walking back to his parents home, which is where the fire occurred, police said.

“(The officer) handcuffed Swenson and detained him, advising him that he was a suspect in starting the fire at his parents’ location,” the complaint states. “Swenson responded that the officer should ‘just take him to prison’ and he would ‘live the rest of (his) life there.’”

He had a lighter in his pocket and a substance that resembled soot on his hands when he was detained, police said.

Surveillance footage from across the street showed Swenson “yelling obscenities and hitting the garage door with a pipe” at 9 a.m. Within the hour, he was again seen in the footage walking away from the home, with smoke appearing two minutes later, the complaint states.

“A large plume escapes out of the house, as if something has ignited,” police said, citing the surveillance footage. “Flames are later observed from the basement windows.”

Swenson was charged with first-degree arson, court records show. The condition of his parents is unknown.

This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Son with history of starting house fires does it again with parents inside, MN cops say."