Man accused of setting ex’s home in Warren County on fire

WARREN COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - A New York man was indicted by a Warren County Grand Jury Friday on 17 felony counts, including kidnapping, arson, and violating a protection order.

Xiu Ming Wu, of New York, is accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home in Warren County, attempting to harm her and setting her home on fire, according to the Springboro Police Department.

“It was completely surreal, something in a million years I would never imagine,” next-door neighbor, Beth Waldo told FOX19 NOW.

On May 11, officers were dispatched at 8:20 p.m. to 81 Lownes Court for a report of a burglary involving a protection order violation.

The victim told police that her ex-boyfriend from New York had found her and broke into her home from the back door with a tire iron. The suspect left the scene before police arrived.

According to responding officers, it was apparent the victim was chased throughout her home. She told officers Wu was trying to kill her.

Police say, during the chase, the female made it to her vehicle which was parked in the garage, and drove through the garage door to escape Wu. The suspect is seen on the victim’s dash-mounted camera smashing her windshield as she drove away, police said.

The woman was able to escape and police found her a safe location to stay temporarily.

On May 12, police responded to the same address for a report of a house fire around 11:30 p.m.

Upon arrival, officers realized this was the same home they responded to the night before, which was then fully engulfed in flames. No one was inside the home during the fire, but police say the fire seemed suspicious, prompting them to have the State Fire Marshal conduct an arson investigation.

“I thought something else had happened. I thought maybe it was the police, and I looked out the window and the house was completely engulfed in flames. We were then told we had to get out both of us on either side,” Waldo said.

The house on Lownes was destroyed, along with damage to neighboring homes.

On May 25, the U.S. Marshals apprehended Wu on warrants issued by Springboro police. He was arrested in Queens, New York, and is currently being held in Rikers Island Jail on a rape charge through New York City, the police department said.

A Warren County Grand Jury indicted Wu on aggravated burglary, kidnapping, felonious assault, abduction, retaliation, violation of a protection order and aggravated arson charges.

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