NEW YORK — A New York man suspected of killing his 70-year-old father and setting fire to his home was arrested Sunday after a multiday search that involved state and federal law enforcement agencies, New York State Police said.
Thomas David Ryan, 32, was taken into custody in the Gilboa area of Schoharie County, ending the manhunt that began after firefighters responded to a house fire on Greenville Turnpike in Orange County on Thursday evening. Police have not released details about how Ryan was located or the circumstances of his arrest.
Investigators found a man dead inside the residence after the fire was extinguished. Authorities later identified the victim as Robert Ryan, 70, and determined that the blaze had been deliberately set. The death was subsequently investigated as a homicide, according to State Police.
Thomas Ryan, who did not live with his father, was identified as a suspect during the investigation. Police believed he had left the area in a gray 2016 Toyota Prius belonging to the victim and described him as armed and dangerous while asking members of the public not to approach him.
Authorities widened the search by examining surveillance footage from homes and businesses in the Greenville area and asking residents to review recordings from Thursday evening through the overnight hours. Investigators also checked locations where Ryan had previously stayed and worked with rail operators because he was known to travel by train, police said.
The investigation involved the FBI, New York State Police, the New York City Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff's Office and police departments in Middletown and Port Jervis, among other agencies.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed a possible motive or explained how Robert Ryan died. They also had not announced the specific criminal charges Ryan would face as of Sunday, according to reports citing police.
The arrest came three days after the fire was reported and as investigators continued examining the circumstances surrounding the death and blaze. Further details were expected to be released by authorities.
