Orange County jury convicts man in Newburgh hotel arson case

An Orange County jury convicted Newburgh resident Jason Conn on Tuesday after prosecutors said he set a fire inside a locked room at the Ramada Inn in the Town of Newburgh while guests and staff were inside.

Conn, 49, was found guilty after a trial before Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown of arson in the second degree, criminal mischief in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree and obstructing fire fighting operations. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said he was remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail after the verdict and faces up to 25 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the fire began on July 24, 2025, after Town of Newburgh police responded to a 911 hang-up call from one of the hotel rooms. When officers arrived, they smelled smoke and found a fire burning inside a locked room. They said the door had been barricaded, and when officers tried to break a window, Conn allegedly tried to stop them from extinguishing the blaze.

The danger extended well beyond the room itself. Firefighters entered the building, encountered Conn inside and physically engaged him before putting out the fire, according to prosecutors. The district attorney said the blaze caused extensive damage, and the hotel was evacuated during the emergency response.

The response drew in a wide stretch of the local fire network. Winona Lake, Orange Lake, Vails Gate, Good Will, Coldenham, New Windsor, Middle Hope and Cronomer Valley all responded, along with Town of Newburgh EMS, the town fire inspector, the Hudson Valley Arson and Explosives Task Force, the Town of Newburgh Fire Investigation Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The scale of that response underscored how quickly a fire inside an occupied hotel can turn into a multi-agency emergency, with smoke, blocked exits and delayed access all raising the stakes for anyone inside.

For Newburgh, the conviction closes one chapter in a case that put hotel residents, workers and firefighters in immediate danger. Sentencing is scheduled for July 9, when the court will decide whether Conn receives a term closer to the minimum or a prison sentence that could stretch for decades.