Cops: Suicidal barricaded man sets house afire

A man who clubbed a woman, threatened suicide and started a house fire was arrested last night in Gloucester Township, according to police.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m., a suicide prevention hotline asked police to check out a possibly suicidal man at 2849 Erial Rd. in the Camden County town.

Officers soon found Victor Serrano 34, refusing to leave a room, and placing objects against windows and doors while hollering threats, police said.

A woman who lived there made it out and told police that Serrano had beaten her with a wooden club and threatened to set fire to the house or get police to shoot and kill him, according to a police news release.

After a SWAT team was summoned, Serrano was seen tossing furniture, then wielding a fiery rag. Natural gas service was shut off by police. When Serrano set furniture ablaze, producing heavy smoke, officers entered through a window and tried to use an extinguisher, but the fire continued to spread.

Serrano was persuaded to jump from a second-floor window and was taken into custody.

Fire fighters arrived to get the flames under control.

Serrano told police the house was booby-trapped, but no such traps were found.