An “armed and dangerous” New York fugitive suspected of killing his 70-year-old father and setting fire to the family home was apprehended Sunday after a multiday manhunt that drew in the FBI and police departments from across the state.
Thomas David Ryan, 32, was arrested in the Gilboa region of Schoharie County, according to New York State Police. Authorities had been looking for Ryan since his father, Robert Ryan, was discovered dead inside his burning Greenville home Thursday evening. According to police, the fire was deliberately lit.
Police did not reveal how Ryan was discovered or disclose information regarding his arrest. They stated that more information would be revealed later.
The investigation began at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, when state troopers were dispatched to a house fire on the Greenville Turnpike in Orange County.
After firemen extinguished the fire, a man was discovered deceased inside the home. Police later recognized him as Robert Ryan, aged 70.
Investigators found that the fire was purposefully caused and began treating Robert Ryan’s death as a homicide. Police soon started looking for his son.
Ryan did not live with his father and had no known connections to the Greenville area at the time, according to State Police.
Ryan was believed to have left in his father’s gray 2016 Toyota Prius. As the search expanded, authorities frequently labeled him as “armed and dangerous” and advised anyone who saw him to call 911 rather than approach him.
Police scoured security footage from houses and businesses in an attempt to track Ryan’s movements following the homicide. Residents in Greenville and surrounding areas were urged to review footage from around 6 p.m. Thursday into the nighttime hours.
Ryan had slept in shelters throughout New York and was known to visit the Plattsburgh area, which is more than 200 miles north of Greenville. Investigators looked into places he had previously stayed and collaborated with rail operators because Ryan was known to travel by train.
The inquiry eventually included the FBI, NYPD, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Middletown and Port Jervis police departments, as well as multiple State Police investigative units and other state and county organizations.
Police haven’t revealed a probable motivation, how Robert Ryan died, or the accusations Thomas Ryan faces.
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