Wallkill firefighter sentenced for committing arson

A former member of the Wallkill Fire Department was sentenced in Ulster County Court on Friday to a year and eight months to five years in prison for committing arson.

KINGSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- A former member of the Wallkill Fire Department was sentenced in Ulster County Court on Friday to a year and eight months to five years in prison for committing arson. The Ulster County District Attorney's Office said Robert Cromie, 58, was a member of the Wallkill Fire Department when he set a Shawangunk garage on fire on Dec. 7, 2021.

A jury convicted Cromie of third-degree arson on March 7. Cromie started a fire in the garage attached to his apartment at 18 Bona Venture Ave. After starting the blaze that consumed the entire apartment, Cromie carried his sleeping wife out of the home.

Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa commended the DA's office and the collaborative efforts of the County Fire Investigation Unit and county sheriffs for their commitment to investigating arson cases. Figueroa added that the DA's office conveyed that committing arson has consequences.

"Arson is a grave offense, particularly when perpetrated by firefighters entrusted with safeguarding our community," he said. "It is intolerable to endanger both the public and those sworn to protect them through such reckless acts."