Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Arson in Market and Courthouse Incidents

A Rochester man has pleaded guilty to arson in connection with two separate fire incidents, including one at a local grocery store and another at the Hall of Justice, federal prosecutors announced.

Jermaine Fields, 38, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, admitting to setting a fire inside the Abundance Co-Op Market on South Avenue on April 17, 2024. According to prosecutors, security footage showed Fields entering the store’s men’s bathroom just before the fire alarm was triggered. Firefighters responded to the scene and found burned debris and signs of fire damage but no active flames.

In addition to the market fire, Fields admitted to igniting papers in a stairwell at the Hall of Justice on Exchange Boulevard on April 5, 2024. He was arrested days after the market incident and later charged with arson.

The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Rochester Fire Department, the Rochester Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Fields faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, with a potential maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2025.