An Allentown man pleaded guilty to a 2024 arson blaze that left over 30 people homeless the day after Christmas, and now faces decades behind bars.
Santos Mota-Ramirez, 61, was initially charged that December with 25 offenses.
Under a plea arrangement with prosecutors, Mota-Ramirez pleaded guilty to two counts felony criminal attempted homicide; one count felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; one count felony arson; one count felony causing a catastrophe; and one count simple assault. All other charges were withdrawn.
The plea offer was approved by all the victims in the case who said they didn’t want to testify at trial and wanted to put the “traumatic experience behind them,” Pamela Lehman, spokeswoman for the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, told lehighvalleylive.com.
Mota-Ramirez waived his right to a pre-sentence investigation and was sentenced Wednesday by Lehigh County Common Pleas Judge Robert L. Steinberg to serve 20 to 40 years in state prison.
District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca announced the guilty plea Wednesday. Christopher M. Shipman, the public defender assigned to Mota-Ramirez, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Thursday morning.
Allentown firefighters responded about 4:30 p.m. Dec. 26, 2024 to the structure fire in the city’s 700 block of Cedar Street, just off North Seventh Street (Route 145).
Crews found a row home engulfed in flames and learned that a woman was trapped in the basement. That victim was rescued from a basement window, authorities had said.
The woman was taken to an area hospital and treated for second-degree burns and smoke inhalation, authorities said.
Incident commanders elevated the fire to a third alarm within minutes, bringing all on-duty firefighters to the scene. Flames quickly spread to several adjoining row homes, which were evacuated.
Prosecutors said several people were in danger of death or serious bodily injury. At least two other people were injured and several firefighters were hurt battling the flames, authorities said.
The blaze was declared under control about 7 p.m., and firefighters remained there until 10:45 p.m. Dec. 26, 2024.
Prosecutors said the fire damaged six homes and displaced 31 people.
An investigation later determined Mota-Ramirez was in a dispute with the woman prior to the fire. The victim reported he assaulted her and attempted to stab her with a knife during the altercation, the DA’s office said.
Police found Mota-Ramirez entering the kitchen from the back of the home, where the flames started, and arrested him.
He later admitted to investigators that he intentionally set the building on fire, tried to stab the victim to death and wanted to kill others inside the home, the DA’s office said.
Mota-Ramirez started the blaze by dumping gasoline inside the basement of his home and lighting it on fire, prosecutors said.
This case was investigated by Allentown Police Detective Theodore Kiskeravage and was prosecuted by Lehigh County First Assistant District Attorney Patricia Fuentes Mulqueen and Lehigh County Senior Deputy District Attorney Ashley N. Troxell.