Authorities have made an arrest in the case of two men whose bodies were found in a charred Brooklyn home once a fire was put out last week, officials said Monday. Police sources say both had been killed before the fire started.
Alex Alive, 33, of Brooklyn, was charged with two counts of murder. Information on a possible attorney for him wasn't immediately available, nor was his connection to the dead men clear.
Firefighters were called to the scene on Bay 29th Street, between Bath and Benson avenues in Bath Beach shortly before 7 p.m. March 17. Cellphone video captured screaming as flames whipped between the windows.
One of the men had a stab wound to his neck, while the other had suffered some sort of head injury.
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A neighbor who has lived in the building for more than 20 years said he knew a man who lived in the second-floor apartment, saying he was Russian and in his 50s. Some residents say they saw people trapped in a second-floor apartment and tried to help them, but the flames were too much.
The fire, which investigators believe may have been intentionally set, caused the ceiling to cave in on an electronic store below it, causing $10,000 in damage, according to the owner of the shop. The cause is under investigation.
No other injuries were reported.
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The men's identities have not been released.
