Man Once Hailed as Hero for Trying to Rescue Neighbor from Burning Home Now Charged in Her Murder By Angel Saunders

A New Jersey man once praised by his community as a hero who tried to save his neighbor from a burning home has now been charged with her murder. 

William Ahle, 70, has officially been charged with the murder of Virginia Cranwell, 82, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Fanwood Chief Law Enforcement Officer Lieutenant Daniel Kranz announced in a press release Wednesday, Dec. 10.

Ahle was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree burglary, and second-degree aggravated arson, authorities said.

Authorities were alerted to the Fanwood, N.J., house fire at 1:37 a.m. local time on July 25.

Ahle told police at the time that he was walking his dog when he spotted flames coming from Cranwell’s home and ran inside the burning house through an open garage, ABC 7 NY reported.

However, Ahle was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged in connection to Cranwell’s death. It’s unclear what led to his arrest, however, authorities said in their news release that after an investigation, “Fire officials later determined the cause of the fire to be an intentional act.”

The Union County Medical Examiner’s Office also ruled Cranwell’s death a homicide.

Multiple neighbors expressed shock over the allegations against Ahle, stating that he was a trusted member of the community.

“He was known as the mayor of the street. Because he’s very helpful. He looks out for a lot of people around the neighborhood,” one neighbor told ABC 7 NY.

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One added that the suspect even sustained injuries during the fatal incident. 

“The guy was in the hospital with a lot of bad burns after he tried to rescue her. I really find that hard to believe,” a neighbor told the local news station.

Another said, “I can just say that I’m shocked. He’s a neighbor, and he seems like a great guy. And he originally helped her. He tried to save her. So it doesn’t make any sense, I just don’t understand.”

Cranwell’s daughter, Yvonne McManus, told the New York Times she got a phone call about the fire and arrived at her mother’s home shortly after the blaze began.

“I gave him a big hug and everything,” she said of seeing Ahle before he was taken to the hospital. She added that Ahle claimed he tried to save her mother. ,

Ahle, a retired corrections officer, had been Cranwell’s neighbor for more than 30 years, the Times reported.

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McManus said that looking back at that night, “nothing made sense.”

“They said the fire was contained in the bedroom, that it started right in front of her bedroom door and she was trapped in the bedroom,” she said. “In fact, someone from the fire or the police told me at the time, ‘Your mom’s house must have been really insulated — it was such a hot fire, and it didn’t spread to anywhere in the house.’ ”

Ahle is currently lodged at Middlesex County Jail pending his next court appearance, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office said. It is not immediately known if he has retained an attorney.