A former Warminster man has admitted to operating a methamphetamines lab that caused a fire in his basement apartment last year.
In a Bucks County court appearance Nov. 24, Jason Nunez, 43, pleaded guilty to four felonies including risking a catastrophe, operating a methamphetamines lab and related misdemeanors in the May 21, 2024 fire. Prosecutors dropped a felony charge.
Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge Wallace Bateman Jr. accepted the plea and he deferred sentencing until next year.
The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force apprehended Nunez earlier this year in Philadelphia, after he alluded authorities for more than a year.
Warminster police had been searching for Nunez since they saw him coming upstairs from his basement apartment in the 700 block of Lillian Lane as firefighters were battling a blaze and searching for other occupants.
When police went into the basement, they saw smoke in the bathroom area and a soaking wet carpet, according to a probable cause affidavit. Firefighters also found active fire in the walls.
Another resident of the home told police that Nunez was burning something in the downstairs bathroom. A third resident went to investigate banging noises and saw Nunez was trying to extinguish fire, the affidavit said.
Nunez allegedly told one resident that he was cleaning when the fire started.
The Warminster fire marshal and police determined that the fire was sparked by someone attempting to make methamphetamine in the bathroom, the affidavit said. The fire was ruled as accidental.
Among the evidence collected included suspected drug lab materials in the trash bags Nunez left outside the home.
The Pennsylvania State Police and members of its clandestine lab response team issued a report that noted the presence of lithium batteries, and chemicals associated with methamphetamine.
Nunez remains incarcerated in Bucks County Correctional Center in lieu of $75,000 bail.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
