Employee accused of setting 2 fires at Market Basket grocery store

    GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts (WBZ) -- A store employee is accused of setting two fires at a Gloucester Market Basket last Friday. Matthew Johnson, 35, was charged with burning personal property and attempting to burn a building and was arraigned in Gloucester District Court where a judge set bail of $5,000.

Allegedly set fire to paper towels, trash compactor According to court documents Johnson went to the Market Basket to complain about his hours being cut. "The defendant lit two separate fires in Market Basket in Gloucester while the store was open to the public," said Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Welch.

Johnson allegedly set fire to a pallet of paper towels inside a storeroom and then cardboard in a trash compactor attached to the building. No one was injured and the fires were put out quickly.

"Another employee activated the fire alarm, and the sprinkler system put out the pallet with the paper towels," said Welch.

It took firefighters another 40 minutes to put out the fire in the trash compactor using the jaws of life to cut into it. A friend of the defendant claims Johnson has been the subject of harassment at the store, but in court no motive was given.

Employee seen on surveillance video

According to court documents, surveillance places Johnson near the trash compactor allegedly putting cardboard inside it.

But his attorney argued there were several employees in the area at the time, and it's possible the fire was not intentionally set. "It is common knowledge that sometimes whatever we put into containers like this, can spontaneously combust," said defense attorney Grace Edwards.

Johnson told the judge he lives in a Gloucester homeless shelter and is unable to make bail.

The grocery store was able to reopen the next day after crews ventilated and cleaned the building.