Cops: Chester Man tries to torch his own house

If he was trying to renovate, as one of my Daily News editors speculated, this was the wrong way to go about it.

Early this morning, Chester police arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly trying to set fire to two vacant properties he owns on Edgemont Avenue.

Police said when they arrived at the adjoining houses at 2:44 a.m. for a report of suspicious conditions, they found the homeowner, Mohsin Khawaja, stepping out of rear of one of the homes.

Plywood had been removed from the rear entrance and Khawaja reeked of gasoline, police said. As cops checked around, they found that not only was Khawaja covered in gas, but he had also placed cloth tarps soaked in gas on the windows of each of the buildings, according to police.

He was taken in to custody and charged with arson and related offenses.

Chester Police Capt. Anita Amaro said neither of the houses that Khawaja planned to light on fire were occupied and his motive for wanting to burn them remains unknown.