GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Matthew Johnson faced a judge in Gloucester Thursday after allegedly setting a fire inside the Market Basket last Friday night.
Fire crews say they found two separate fires inside the grocery store while it was still open to customers.
Fire crews found the fire inside a trash compactor as well as on a pallet of paper towels.
The Gloucester Fire department had to use the ‘jaws of life’ to open the trash compactor to put the flames out.
Johnson, an employee of the Market Basket, is accused of setting the fire.
Investigators say there’s surveillance video of Johnson putting cardboard into that compactor and reaching into his pocket for something before bending over into the compactor shortly before the fire broke out.
Johnson’s attorney argues that multiple Market Basket employees were in that area around the same time, plus, she questions what materials were inside.
“Based on the police report there were multiple employees in front of that specific trash compactor as close to 8:30 as 8:08 PM when the manager was there and then another employee was in front of the trash compactor within a few minutes of that,” said Johnson’s defense attorney. “It is common knowledge that sometimes whatever we put into containers like this could spontaneously combust.”
No one was injured by the fire, and the store was able to reopen the following day after passing multiple inspections.
Bail was set at $5,000 and if he posts that, he’ll have to wear a GPS monitor and avoid going near the Market Basket.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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