A charge of attempted murder has been added against an 18-year-old New York man who allegedly set a neighbor on fire in what may have been a religious dispute in a Hasidic Jewish village.
Ramapo police Chief Peter Brower said Monday that Shaul Spitzer of New Square was trying to burn down Aron Rottenberg's house when both men suffered burns and were hospitalized Sunday.
Brower said the 43-year-old Rottenberg had third-degree burns on half his body. Spitzer had burns on his hands and arms. He now faces charges of arson, assault and attempted murder. Police did not know if he had a lawyer.
A relative said Rottenberg's family has been threatened because they do not worship at New Square's main synagogue. Brower said only that there had been "other instances'' at the home.
