Man accused of arson allegedly texted “loved setting your house on fire,” to resident

Gerald Kujawa, 34, is accusd of arson. Gerald Kujawa, 34, is accusd of arson. Photo: Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Photo: Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Image 1 of / 63 Caption Close Man accused of arson allegedly texted “loved setting your house on fire,” to resident 1 / 63 Back to Gallery

A homeless man is accused of setting another man’s home ablaze on the Northeast Side after he was invited to stay the night in November.

Gerald Kujawa, 34, faces a charge of arson of a habitat with bail set at $50,000. He was arrested Monday and was still in jail as of Saturday night.

The owner of a home in the 200 block of New Castle told police he allowed Kujawa to spend the night, letting him remain even after he left for work at about 5 a.m. the next day, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

When the fire started at about noon, Kujawa had already left the scene before authorities arrived, the warrant states.

Days later, the homeowner gave investigators texts from Kujawa that read: “I set your house on fire, and I enjoyed and loved setting your house on fire.”

Another read: “I hope you die, I burned your house down and I enjoyed doing it,” the affidavit states.

As the investigation progressed, the homeowner relayed more texts that read: “I set your house on fire on purpose and I hope you die,” and “you deserved what I did to you you better be lucky I didn’t kill you in your sleep…,” according to the affidavit.

A witness told police he met Kujawa downtown and brought him to the area to help his living situation. After the fire, Kujawa was camped out around the witnesses’ home, investigators said, as the witness brought food and water to him.

While Kujawa was on his phone next to a witness, he said he had just set a dead animal on fire in some bushes.

Kujawa told the witness he used a cigarette to start a fire on the bed, saying “If I had some gasoline I would have set the whole house on fire,” the warrant states.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA