AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (WNYT) – Two inmates at the Montgomery County Jail are facing charges after investigators said an intentionally damaged electronic device sparked a fire inside a cell.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fire alarm at the jail on Tuesday. Investigators determined that Alexander Rivera, 46, had obtained the device—police did not identify what it was—from inside the facility. Rivera allegedly smashed it on purpose, causing its lithium-ion battery to ignite. The fire produced heavy smoke in the cell, which then filled the entire pod, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
His brother, 44-year-old Cruz Rivera, is accused of acting as a lookout to warn Alexander Rivera about where correction officers were. He is also accused of throwing away the evidence in a trash can.
Alexander Rivera has been charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
Cruz Rivera faces charges of tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy. Both men are scheduled to appear in Glen Town Court at a later date.
All inmates in the pod were evacuated to another section of the jail during the incident.
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