Fugitive Arrested in Connection With Father’s Death and House Fire in New York

Thomas David Ryan, 32, was apprehended Sunday in the Gilboa area of Schoharie County following an intensive search that involved federal and state law enforcement agencies. Authorities had been pursuing Ryan in connection with the death of his 70-year-old father, Robert Ryan, whose body was discovered Thursday evening inside a burning home in Greenville. State Police characterized Ryan as “armed and dangerous” throughout the investigation.

Emergency responders were dispatched to a residential fire on Greenville Turnpike in Orange County at approximately 7:30 p.m. Thursday. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, investigators found Robert Ryan’s remains inside the home and determined the fire had been deliberately ignited. Authorities subsequently launched a homicide investigation and initiated a search for the elder Ryan’s son.

Investigators believed Thomas Ryan fled in his father’s gray 2016 Toyota Prius following the incident. Police reviewed surveillance footage from residences and commercial establishments in Greenville and surrounding areas, focusing on recordings made between 6 p.m. Thursday and early Friday morning. Authorities noted that Ryan had stayed in multiple shelters across New York and frequently visited the Plattsburgh area, located more than 200 miles north of the crime scene.

The multi-agency investigation ultimately included the FBI, NYPD, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and law enforcement departments in Middletown and Port Jervis. Police worked with rail operators based on information that Ryan commonly traveled by train. State Police have not released details regarding the circumstances of Robert Ryan’s death, the specific charges Ryan faces, or a possible motive.