NEW CITY, NY – A 72-year-old man from West Haverstraw was arraigned Friday on a sweeping indictment charging him with trying to murder 11 people — including three children — by allegedly setting a mattress ablaze inside a crowded multifamily home while residents were still asleep.

German Santiago stands accused of lighting a fire near the entrance of 52 Blauvelt Avenue around 5 a.m. on August 1. The home, shared by a dozen tenants, became a potential death trap as flames ignited and began to spread. According to court documents, a witness saw Santiago douse a mattress with an unknown substance before fleeing the scene.

Residents, some of them children under 16, were jolted awake by the sound of the blaze. Several ran into the hallway and discovered the fire before emergency crews arrived

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