Sean McDermott allegedly torched his Pocono home to kill spiders before fleeing to NYC where a hit-and-run crash led to his arrest with liquid accelerant and nitrous oxide in his truck
From the Poconos to Midtown: A Bizarre Chain of Events Ends in Custody
What began with a man’s apparent fear of spiders in a Pennsylvania vacation community ended on the streets of Midtown Manhattan with an arrest, a bomb squad response, and a roster of charges that reads like the plot of a particularly eccentric crime drama. Sean McDermott, 36, of East Moriches, New York, is now facing arson charges in Pennsylvania and a separate battery of charges in New York City after a sequence of events that unfolded over roughly 48 hours earlier this week.
The Fire in Pocono Pines
According to Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief Chris Wagner, McDermott set multiple fires inside his townhome in the Pocono Pines community on Monday evening. His stated motive: to kill spiders living inside the walls. A friend who was present reportedly attempted to extinguish the flames repeatedly, only to have McDermott reignite them. Both men eventually left the property. When they returned, the townhome was fully engulfed. Volunteer firefighters spent eight hours battling the blaze in freezing temperatures. When investigators entered the structure, they found large icicles formed from the firefighting water, a gaping hole in the ceiling above the fireplace, and a holiday stocking still hanging from the mantle. Three connected townhomes were also damaged, leaving multiple households displaced. The National Fire Protection Association reports that home fires cause billions of dollars in damage annually and that arson remains one of the leading causes of fire fatalities in the United States.
Fleeing to New York City
After the fire, McDermott fled in a rented U-Haul truck, driving nearly 100 miles east to New York City. On Wednesday evening, the truck was involved in a hit-and-run collision at the intersection of East 23rd Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan. McDermott abandoned the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by officers. When the NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit and bomb squad responded to investigate the abandoned U-Haul, they discovered that the truck contained nitrous oxide — commonly known as laughing gas — and an unidentified liquid accelerant. The combination triggered a bomb squad response that drew significant attention in the busy Flatiron district. The NYPD confirmed that no explosive devices were found and that the scene was rendered safe after investigation.
The Charges and What Comes Next
In New York City, McDermott was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, unauthorized use of a vehicle, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and unlawfully possessing noxious materials. He has four prior arrests in New York City, including an assault charge in 2019. After appearing before a judge in Manhattan, he faces extradition to Pennsylvania, where arson charges are expected to be formally filed. The extent of civil liability to his neighbors whose homes were also damaged remains to be determined.
The Spider Question
While the spectacle of the case has drawn predictable viral attention, the underlying behavior — using fire as a pest control method — reflects a dangerous and documented phenomenon. The National Pest Management Association explicitly warns against using fire or flammable sprays to eliminate insects or spiders, noting that such methods cause fires annually across the United States. Pest control professionals have dozens of safe, effective, and legal alternatives for dealing with spider infestations, including treatment of entry points, dehumidification, and chemical barriers. The cost of calling an exterminator would have been, in any imaginable scenario, substantially less than the cost of what McDermott now faces in legal fees, restitution, and incarceration. His neighbors, who had no role in any of this, are left to deal with damaged homes in the middle of winter.
A Community Left Holding the Damage
The Pocono Pines community, like many vacation and semi-permanent residential developments in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania, is home to a mix of weekend residents and full-time families. The damage to neighboring units — with their owners given no warning and no recourse except insurance claims and legal action — illustrates how individual recklessness can impose devastating costs on an entire community. The investigation by Pocono Mountain Regional Police and Pennsylvania state authorities is ongoing, and the timeline for McDermott’s extradition has not been publicly confirmed.
