"This was a crime done out of revenge," federal prosecutor Daniel Amzallag said during the initial appearance for Jawahar Singh. The two were angry over an eviction notice for their printing business, he said. According to a federal complaint, the Singh family had an ongoing dispute with the landlord of the 101st Ave. business since 2023."
"On Feb. 17, the Singhs made a last-ditch effort to stay in the building but were ordered by a Queens housing court judge to vacate the premises. Shortly after midnight on Feb. 18, FDNY Fire Marshal David Lebowitz, assigned to a federal task force, said that the shop caught fire, destroying the interior and causing some structural damage."
"During the investigation, fire marshals checked the internal video security recording, which Narinder Singh told them about, and discovered that the father and son deliberately set the fire, prosecutors said."
Narinder Singh, 56, and his son Jawahar Singh, 29, face federal arson charges for deliberately setting fire to their South Richmond Hill print shop on February 18. The fire occurred shortly after midnight, hours after a Queens housing court judge ordered them to vacate the premises on February 17. The two had been engaged in a contentious three-year landlord-tenant dispute involving allegations of fraudulent leases and unpaid rent. Federal prosecutors characterized the crime as revenge-motivated, stemming from anger over the eviction notice. Internal surveillance video footage, which Narinder Singh disclosed to fire marshals, captured evidence of the father and son deliberately starting the fire using a hot plate and paper towels. The fire destroyed the shop's interior and caused structural damage.
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