Brooklyn man accused of threatening neighbor, starting building fire charged with menacing, arson

The 37-year-old man who set his Brooklyn apartment building on fire during an hours-long standoff with police had menaced a neighbor with a knife and started the blaze with a makeshift Molotov cocktail, police said Friday.

Luis Alberto, known to his neighbors as “Poncho” is facing several criminal charges including arson, arson as a hate crime, criminal mischief, menacing, and reckless endangerment for the 3:45 p.m. clash inside his Fulton St. building near Ocean Parkway in Ocean Hill Thursday.

Alberto lived in the basement of the Fulton Street building, home of the Exotic Cutz barbershop, with about 15 stray cats he took in, neighbors said. He had moved into the basement about a decade ago and did odd jobs, and was known for having a mean streak, neighbors said.

On Thursday, he allegedly threatened a neighbor with a knife and police were called to the scene. When cops rolled up, Alberto locked himself in a basement apartment, sparking a three-hour standoff.

As cops evacuated the building — except for a cat that had been left behind — and tried to get him to surrender, Alberto threatened to start a fire, cops said.

At about 6:45 p.m., Alberto set fire to a glass container holding a flammable liquid, sparking a smoky blaze.

Firefighters and members of the NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit stormed the basement, put out the blaze, and rescued Alberto, who was taken to Brookdale University Medical Center with minor injuries. A firefighter was also taken to Brookdale with minor injuries.

The cat left behind was also saved, police said.

The front of the barbershop was padlocked shut Friday. The tenants of the building have been relocated.

Alberto remained hospitalized Friday. His arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court was pending.