The explosion that happened in the back of a pickup truck in Swanville on Sunday was allegedly caused by a lit firework, according to court records for the Topsham man who was arrested in the case.
Twenty-year-old Patrick Kane, was charged with arson, a Class A felony, as well as a misdemeanor count of violating conditions of release. At the time of his arrest, Kane was out on bail for another charge of arson related to three buildings that burned in Woolwich and Dresden in April 2024.
In the Swanville case, Kane allegedly lit the firework and threw it into the back of a truck at 1472 Swan Lake Ave., damaging the vehicle as well as a set of water boots and pants used for fishing that were stored in it, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by Nathan Bernier, an officer with the state fire marshal’s office. The damage totaled several hundred dollars.
The records also allege that Kane was accompanied by a woman who had recently gotten out of a romantic relationship with the owner of the truck and was upset that he’d “dumped” her. The records do not indicate that she was charged.
Kane is currently under house arrest with conditions that include no contact with the victims and no handling of incendiary devices. His bail is set at $10,000 in cash with no third party bail permitted.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 11. His attorney, Peter Rosenberg of Brunswick, could not be reached for comment.
According to the affidavit, Kane allegedly told police that he had met the woman who accompanied him in Swanville only recently and that she was the one who lit and released the firework into the truck. The accomplice, in turn, accused Kane of the crime.