A Homestead father is behind bars after police say he intentionally set his pregnant daughter’s home on fire early Sunday morning, killing her dog and destroying the house.
Martin Perez, 59, appeared in bond court Monday on charges of first-degree arson, criminal mischief, and battery on a pregnant woman. The fire broke out around 2 a.m. at a home on 16th Avenue in Homestead, where flames were seen shooting from the residence when officers arrived, police said.
“It was an incendiary fire, being there was no one else in the house at the time that the house was engulfed in flames,” said Officer Bacera of the Homestead Police Department during the virtual court hearing.
According to an arrest report, Martin Perez’s daughter, Jocelyn Perez, arrived at the scene while the fire was still active. Her father pushed and scratched her during a confrontation, prompting the additional battery charge, police said.
Jocelyn Perez, a single mother of a 9-year-old son who is two months pregnant, was not inside the home at the time of the fire. Her dog Loki was in the residence at the time of the incident and did not survive, police said.
“I can’t imagine my life without him,” Jocelyn Perez wrote on a fundraising page, sharing pictures of the charred interior of the home she had just purchased in September 2024. “My heart, soul, body and mind shattered in 1 million pieces right now.”
The fire completely destroyed the residence. Investigators have not released further details about what may have motivated the alleged arson. The investigation is ongoing.
