Two Men Arrested After Wallkill House Fire, Charged With Burglary, Criminal Mischief

Town of Wallkill police arrested Joseph Rhein, 33, and Joseph Calderon, 47, after officers responding to a burning house at 161 Ridgewood Avenue observed two men running from the scene, and later charged both with third-degree burglary and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Calderon was taken into custody the night of the fire; Rhein was arrested March 1 and both were remanded to the Orange County Jail.

Town of Wallkill officers “responded to a report of a fire at 161 Ridgewood Avenue at approximately 1:08 a.m. on Feb. 25.” Upon arrival, officers “observed two males fleeing the burning premises,” police said. Daily Voice corroborated that officers were dispatched just after 1 a.m. and saw two men running from the burning property.

Police identified the suspects as Joseph Calderon, 47, of Middletown, who was arrested Feb. 25 and remanded without bail, and Joseph Rhein, 33, of the Town of Wallkill, who was arrested March 1 and arraigned on the statutory charges. Rhein “was arraigned and remanded to the Orange County Jail with $3,000 cash bail, $6,000 bond, or $12,000 partially secured bond,” the police account states.

Detective Andre Frontis led the follow-up investigation with assistance from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Hudson Valley Arson and Explosives Task Force; one source spelled the detective’s name as “Andre Frrontis.” Authorities described the inquiry as active and did not release a determination on the fire’s cause, the extent of property damage, or whether occupants were in the home at the time.

Both defendants were due to appear in Town of Wallkill Court before Judge Peter Green at 9 a.m. on March 4; reports indicate the men appeared that day. The arrests and charges remain part of an ongoing investigation into the Feb. 25 overnight blaze that drew firefighters and state arson specialists to Ridgewood Avenue.

Town of Wallkill detectives are asking anyone with information to call 845-692-6757. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office and local fire investigators have been involved in the probe; prosecutors have not announced whether additional charges will follow while the investigation continues.