Man accused of setting girlfriend ablaze after threatening daughter in NYC apartment
Kenneth Rickenbacker, 44, was arraigned in Brooklyn for allegedly igniting his girlfriend inside their Crown Heights apartment after threatening his 11-year-old daughter with a knife.
On the evening of Oct. 24, police say Kenneth Rickenbacker, 44, threatened his 11-year-old daughter with a knife before setting fire to his 38-year-old girlfriend inside their Crown Heights apartment. First-arrival crews encountered a smoke-filled doorway and a voice crying out near a burning mattress, prompting an emergency response. The victim was rushed to the Weill Cornell Hospital Burn Center, where she remains in a medically induced coma.
Rickenbacker told investigators the blaze resulted from an accidental spark when he shoved his girlfriend, who allegedly had rubbing alcohol on her hands, onto a lit cigarette. He later tried to report the fire in Queens but was detained and subsequently arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court, where he appeared with his head bandaged from burns. He now faces multiple counts, including attempted murder, arson, assault and endangering a child under 17.
Why it matters
The case highlights severe domestic violence, child endangerment, and the dangers of arson in a densely populated city.
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