Article Courtesy of Channel 10 Local News
By Peter Burke
Published July 17, 2018
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - A Miami Beach man was arrested Thursday after he tried
to burn down his condominium building in the city and "kill all the Jews,"
police said.
Walter Stolper, 72, faces charges of attempted arson and
attempted murder.
Miami Beach police Officer Ernesto Rodriguez said investigators received a
credible tip that Stolper was planning to burn down The Pavilion residences
on Collins Avenue.
Rodriguez said Stolper was angry after having recently been served with
eviction papers.
Another resident of the condo told police that Stolper told him he was going
to pour gasoline down the drain line of the building, ignite it and then
padlock the building's fire hoses to prevent firefighters from extinguishing
the flames.
Investigators later found Stolper in the parking garage of the building,
pushing two plastic containers in a shopping cart. The containers were
filled with gas. Investigators said they found eight more plastic containers
filled with gas in a garbage chute dumpster.
According to the arrest affidavit, gas had been poured down the chute from
the 15th floor -- the same floor on which Stolper lived. Investigators said
the plastic containers were identical to the ones found in the shopping
cart.
"I bought the gas to make a small BBQ," Stolper told police, according to
the affidavit.
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Walter Stopler, 72, faces a charge of first-degree
attempted arson after police say he tried to burn down his own
condominium building to "kill all the Jews."
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Rodriguez said the state attorney's office will decide
whether Stolper should be charged with a hate crime. |