FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – A man who was captured on surveillance camera setting fire to an outdoor umbrella at Sliders Seaside Grill in Fernandina Beach has been arrested, according to the Fernandina Beach Police Department.
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Fernandina Beach police announced on Tuesday that John Robuskie Sallas was arrested at the probation office on a violation of probation charge, nearly two weeks after the fire at the popular Fletcher Avenue restaurant.
Police told News4JAX they anticipate arson charges to be filed against Sallas, and added that he is also the prime suspect in several arson cases in Nassau County.
Sallas is not a Fernandina Beach resident, according to police.
Just hours after the fire on June 20, police released a portion of the video that shows a man using what appears to be a lighter to ignite an umbrella that was part of the restaurant’s patio set.
Cason Zylinski, the restaurant’s general manager, said that when she received a call informing herof the arrest, she was “ecstatic” and “over the moon.”
“I was so excited, I screamed over the phone when [they] gave me the good news,” Zylinski said, adding that she didn’t expect an arrest to be made so quickly.
“[Police] had not much to go off,” she said. “The fella used his shirt, and he was wearing gloves for everything he handled, and it was a pretty terrible video. So just incredibly impressed.”
She also said the restaurant has doubled the number of security cameras on its premises since the incident occurred.
Sliders Seaside Grill posted a statement on its Facebook page after learning of Sallas’ arrest.
“The Sliders Family would like to thank Detectives Paetsch & Oliver and their team for their committed and dilligent work tracking down this bandit. From the early morning of the incident, they told me they would catch the guy and based on the fuzzy video footage and the fact he was wearing gloves, I wanted to believe them but didn’t seem like much to go on. We are beyond grateful and blessed to have you guys looking out for us,” the restaurant wrote.
The day after the fire, Mitchell Aarons, a manager, told News4JAX his bosses were there all night working on the aftermath.
Aarons said the man broke in through the back door and reached for a bottle of alcohol behind the counter before going back through the kitchen and setting things on fire — charred walls, melted bottles of alcohol, and a busted door frame could be seen.
The suspect came to the back outside where he set a table umbrella on fire, which left melted plastic on the table.
“We have so many regulars, and so many guests, and we’re knee deep in tourist season right now,” Aarons said. “We employ over 50 employees, and it’s just the fact that we’re very grateful that we can still have them come in, and we can still all work.”
Police said the investigation is ongoing.