An arrest has been made in connection with an arson fire at an East Side community center construction site.
Jade Smart is charged in a federal complaint with maliciously damaging and destroying the building, located at 79 Kilhoffer St. in Buffalo, on Jan. 28, 2020. 79 Kilhoffer St. was a vacant structure under renovation by Habitat for Humanity, Buffalo Peacemakers and the Stop the Violence Coalition.
Authorities said Smart had apparently planned the arson two weeks before, and that her arrest follows the discovery of DNA on a gasoline can recovered at the scene.
Another person of interest in the case told investigators that Smart poured gasoline into an iced tea bottle, then lit it and threw in Molotov-cocktail style into the building. Remnants of the bottle were also found at the fire scene.
