Suspect wanted in arson outside Jewish day school arrested, Toronto police say

Toronto police they have arrested a suspect in connection with an arson outside a Jewish day school earlier this week.

The incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. on July 30 at The Leo Baeck Day School, located near St. Clair Avenue West and Bathurst Street.

Police allege that a suspect was using an exterior storage shed on the property for shelter and on July 29, the school discovered this and removed the man’s belongings from the shed.

According to investigators, the structure was set on fire after the suspect returned to the shed to discover his personal items had been removed.

Police said the suspect was seen leaving the shed shortly after the fire started. The fire and heat caused damage to the shed and broke several of the school’s windows.

Shortly after the incident, police confirmed that while the hate crime unit had been consulted, investigators do not believe the incident was motivated by hate.

The accused, identified by police as 34-year-old Mark Anthony Dela-Cruz, was arrested on Thursday. He faces one count of arson and three counts of failing to comply with probation, police said in a news release issued Friday.