'Terrifying': Family grateful for safety after suspect is charged in arson
Posted: Updated:A Bronx family spoke exclusively with News 12 about their ordeal after police arrested a man for allegedly setting fire to their home while they were inside.
Diamond Williams, 20, was inside her room when it was set on fire last month.
"It's terrifying, it's frightening, one day you could have your whole life and the next day you don't have anything," she says.
The suspect is Kamal Kerr, her on-again, off-again boyfriend and the father of their 1-year-old baby girl, who was also in the Williamsbridge apartment at the time of the fire. Kerr was taken into custody two days ago.
"I was really hurt. I didn't want to believe that it was him," she says.
MORE: Officials: Man charged for setting fire to home with 5 people inside
Police say 31-year-old Kerr, who has prior assault and drug arrests, was seen on surveillance video pouring lighter fluid inside Williams' room, along with a piece of paper that he lit on fire.
Williams' two sisters were also home getting ready for school at the time. One says her jacket was burned in the blaze.
Their father threw buckets of water to put out the flames. He was also shocked that Kerr was allegedly responsible, even though the two had recently broken up.
"I never thought the man was going to do something like that, he was an alright guy you know," he says.
Kerr is facing multiple counts of attempted murder, arson and endangering the welfare of a child among other charges.
Williams is ready to move on.
"It's behind us but it's something that I have to wake up every day and think about. It's going to be hard but I'll get through it," she says, adding, "I'm just happy that it wasn't worse than what it could be."
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