PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Timothy Brosnan, of Swampscott, was arraigned in Lynn District Court on Monday.
BY DILLON DURST
LYNN — A Swampscott man who prosecutors say laughed about setting fire to his home was arraigned in Lynn District Court Monday on an arson charge.
Timothy Brosnan, 57, pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail, pending a dangerousness hearing. He is accused of setting fire to his Swampscott home on Linden Avenue over the weekend. His wife and children were not home at the time.
The prosecution asked for a three-day continuance to gather more information from an ongoing arson investigation report. But the defense objected and asked that the hearing proceed as scheduled Monday.
District Court Judge James LaMothe agreed to continue the case to Wednesday at 2 p.m.
The defense also argued for a bail hearing noting that Brosnan has no prior record and removed the family cat from the house before setting it on fire. But the judge also denied that request.
His wife, who had recently been awarded the house in a court order, was scheduled to move in the following day. The couple is going through a divorce.
On Saturday, Swampscott Police responded to a call that the windows of a house had exploded and black smoke poured out, according to police.
After securing the area, police found Brosnan leaning against his SUV. He admitted to being the homeowner and confessed that he started the fire, police said.
Brosnan was allegedly “laughing about starting the fire,” and said that he had poured gas in the garage and throughout the house, the report said.
Dillon Durst can be reached at ddurst@itemlive.com.