STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It’s safe to say that Dominick Sacchetti, a fairly new ShopRite hire, will not be making it past his probationary period after officials allege he attempted to burn the supermarket down.
ShopRite employees interviewed by the Advance/SILive.com expressed shock that a fellow associate was accused of starting the blaze.
One employee who was working at the time of the incident noted that Sacchetti, 21, acted normal in the immediate aftermath, only raising suspicion when he was the first to leave after the evacuation.
In court documents obtained by the Advance/SILive.com, prosecutors say Sacchetti showed a “depraved indifference to human life,” when he used a set of matches to ignite paper towels on the shelves to set fire to ShopRite.
“Yeah, it was crazy because he did it on the other aisle. Then came back and acted like nothing happened,” the worker said. “He was the one that left the earliest. The only one that left when they were calling names.”
Firefighters respond to the ShopRite on Greaves Lane in Great Kills on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Scott Axelrod)
According to the worker, the suspect had only been at the store for two or three weeks before the incident. The worker wondered what could cause a person to do such a thing.
Another employee, who was not present, learned about the fire from his wife and was initially in disbelief.
According to fire officials, no injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported, but they estimate damage to the Great Kills supermarket will exceed $100,000.
An employee put the damage amount into perspective by stating, “it could have been a lot worse.”
The situation could have been catastrophic if the blaze ignited the store’s gas lines, he said.
Workers and shoppers gather in the parking lot outside the ShopRite.(Advance/SILive.com | Scott Axelrod)
“Had one of the gas lines been hit, the whole store could have gone up,” he employee said.
Overall, staff was overwhelmingly relieved that no one was injured. After the fire was set, it began spreading quickly before a customer briefly attempted to knock it down with a store fire extinguisher, officials said.
Employees praised the customer’s quick thinking and courage, with one saying, “he had the choice to be a hero and he chose to do that.”
An employee noted that the fire extinguisher was conveniently located in the same aisle where the fire was started.
Sacchetti, of Corbin Avenue in Great Kills, has been released from custody after posting bail. Sacchetti’s bond was set by Judge John N. McPadden at $50,000 cash or $100,000 insured bond or partially secured surety bond.
Fire marshals say the fire started at the ShopRite located at 100 Greaves Lane in Evergreen Plaza on Nov. 26 at about 3:45 p.m.
A firefighter looks into the ShopRite location during the emergency response.(Advance/SILive.com | Scott Axelrod)
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Advance/SILive.com, the shelves became charred and melted onto the store’s aisles.
Sacchetti, prosecutors maintain, created “a grave risk of death or substantial risk of serious physical injury to other individuals who were present inside of said building.”
Sacchetti was arraigned in Criminal Court, St. George, on Tuesday. He faces multiple counts of arson, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.
A request for comment was not immediately returned by ShopRite.