In a case that sounds almost too bizarre to be real, a Maryland woman has been charged with arson and multiple other offenses after she allegedly set fire to a man’s front door because he owed her $7, according to Law & Crime.
Janice Oney, 51, now faces a long list of charges, including first- and second-degree arson, malicious burning, reckless endangerment, malicious destruction of property, and theft of less than $100 — the last three of which are classified as misdemeanors.
According to Wicomico County court records, Oney was released Monday on a $25,000 unsecured personal bond, which she posted shortly after.
The incident unfolded on July 3 in Salisbury, Maryland, a city located about 30 miles west of Ocean City, near the Atlantic coast. A man living in the 300 block of Penn Street told investigators that Oney — someone he had known for several years — became upset after demanding $7 she claimed he owed her.
Following an argument, Oney allegedly left the home, only to return minutes later with a bottle of gasoline, the man said. Authorities say she then “set the front door on fire before fleeing the area on a bicycle.”
Fortunately, the fire didn’t spread. The man had already extinguished the flames by the time investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Salisbury Fire Department arrived.
But despite the quick containment, investigators still had a mystery to solve. Their case reportedly came together with the help of the resident’s testimony and surveillance footage from nearby businesses, which “helped link Oney to the incident,” the State Fire Marshal’s office confirmed.
The fire was deemed intentional, and Oney was officially arrested on August 1 before being booked into the Wicomico County Detention Center.
She is now awaiting her preliminary court hearing on August 28.
While the motive may seem minor — a $7 debt — the charges are anything but. If convicted, Oney could face years behind bars for what appears to be a deliberate act of revenge gone dangerously wrong.
The question now: Was $7 worth setting a house on fire — and risking prison time?
