Police respond to call of backyard fire, find murder victim’s burning body: Report

A New York man has been arrested for allegedly murdering someone and then setting the victim’s body on fire, WCBS-TV reports.

Police were called to a home in Shirley, New York – on Long Island – at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday to investigate a 911 report of a fire in a backyard, according to News 12 Long Island.

When officers from the Suffolk County Police Department arrived at the residence, they found a body burning on the property. Police extinguished the blaze.

Officers also found 20-year-old Peter Pendzinski in the yard. He had burns on his body, although the extent of the burns has not been released, according to WABC-TV.

Pendzinski, who lives at the home, was arrested and is facing a charge of second-degree murder, Newsday reports.

Pendzinski was also hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to be arranged at a later date at First District Court in Central Islip, New York, according to the newspaper.

The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy on the victim to help determine the cause and manner of death.

The victim is believed to be a man, according to WPIX-TV. Information about his identity and relationship with Pendzinski has not been released.

Video from WABC-TV shows numerous law enforcement personnel and vehicles at the scene of the residence, including trucks from the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory and Suffolk County Police Department.

The home, situated on Mastic Boulevard West near Windsor Place, appears to be located in a residential neighborhood not far from the city’s center and business district.

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