Drunk Uncle Tried to Set Family on Fire: Cops

Man doused the front door of a house with gasoline and ignited it with family inside, police said

A Hollywood man was arrested after things got a little heated at a Labor Day family gathering, literally, police said.

Thomas Cosmo Varricchio Jr., 45, was charged with domestic violence and arson for trying to set a house on fire with five of his relatives inside a Hollywood Police report stated.

Varricchio repeatedly shouted "I'm going to burn the house down!" before trying to follow through on the threat by dousing the front door with gasoline, according to the report.

Relatives told police their uncle was drunk and had become belligerent, the report stated. The report did not say exactly what Varricchio was upset about.

It was the second time that day Varricchio's temper reached fire starter proportions, the arrest report said. About an hour earlier, he had taken some of his niece's clothes and set them on fire on the front lawn, police said.

While fanning the flames on the front door, Varricchio also yelled, "I'm going to get you and all your animals," the report stated.

The people inside, including a minor, were able to escape the house through a back door. No one was injured, police said.

Varricchio is being held in Broward County jail on $250,000 bond. It was unclear if he had an attorney.

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