Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 29, 2024 4:15:54 GMT -5
Man Breaks Into Collinwood, Sets Fires
On the evening of Tuesday, February 27, Foster Krupa, a 25-year-old man, broke into Seaview Terrace (aka “Collinwood”) and set four fires in the cellar of the Ruggles Avenue mansion.
After vandalizing several cars, at 12:14 a.m., he approached a woman outside a dormitory at Salve Regina University, threatening her with a fishing spear and ordering her out of her vehicle.
Police struggled to take Krupa into custody after he crashed the car in a wooded area on Wickham Road near its intersection of Brenton Road. During the confrontation, he pointed a torch – believed to have been used to set the fires – at officers, who were forced to use stun guns to subdue him. The officers and suspect suffered minor injuries during the scuffle.
Krupa (above), who allegedly lives on Annandale Avenue, was arraigned yesterday (February 28) on charges of robbery, arson, breaking and entering, two counts of felony assault, larceny over $1,500, five counts of vandalism, two counts of simple assault, resisting arrest, failure to stop after an accident involving a motor vehicle, and injuring or tampering with vehicles. He was ordered held without bail.
The 43,772 square-foot mansion at 197 Ruggles Avenue became one of the nation’s most recognizable structures when it served as home to the Collins family of Dark Shadows from June 1966 until April 1971. Currently owned by a real estate holding company, the mansion was listed for sale in 2021.
Although the sprinkler system prevented the spread of the fires set by Krupa, the break-in and malicious mischief demonstrate how quickly the tranquility of what residents believe to be a safe neighborhood can be disrupted, and how historical landmarks can be destroyed by a single act of vandalism.
Sources: Savana Dunning, The Newport Daily News, February 28, 2024, and WJAR, February 28, 2024.
