Cops: Former Volunteer Fireman, Christopher Zaino, 20, of Bayville, Charged with Mill Pond House Arson in Oyster Bay

LONG ISLAND, NY – The Nassau County Arson Bomb Squad has arrested a former volunteer fireman and charged him in connection with arson from an incident which occurred in March of last year in Oyster Bay.

According to the original report, Arson and Bomb Squad detectives were investigating a suspicious fire that occurred on March 22, 2014 at 9:25 pm in Oyster Bay. The Oyster Bay Fire Department, with the assistance of the Atlantic Steamer, Locust Valley and Bayville Fire Departments, responded to 1065 W. Shore Road, the historical Mill Pond House owned by the Town of Oyster Bay, for a house fire. 100 firefighters with 15 pieces of fire apparatus battled the blaze and successfully extinguished the fire that destroyed the vacant home.

Christopher Zaino, 20, is charged with Arson 3rd Degree, will be arraigned in First District Court, Hempstead today, January 9th, 2015. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

A near 10 month investigation led detectives to Christopher Zaino, 20, of Bayville, who was, at the time, a Bayville Fire Department Volunteer Fireman.

Zaino, who is charged with Arson 3rd Degree, will be arraigned in First District Court, Hempstead today, January 9th, 2015.

The historic home dates back to the 1660s and is the oldest of 40 historical landmarks within the Town of Oyster Bay. According to Newsday, the Town paid $1.9 million for the Mill Pond House in June 2008.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.