Court docs: Arson of firefighter’s truck stemmed from jealousy over woman

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The man accused of setting a fellow Suffolk firefighter’s Chevy truck on fire earlier this month was upset that his girlfriend still had feelings for the other man, according to new court paperwork detailing the fire marshal’s investigation.

Steve Jurnigan, who is on unpaid leave from Suffolk Fire and Rescue, has been charged with arson, property destruction, assault and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

The first two charges stem from a May 10 incident. Authorities received a call just after 3 a.m. about a vehicle fire at Suffolk Fire Station 4, located on Lake Kilby Road.

The firefighters who manned the facility — including the truck’s owner, Trent Bell — were out on a call at the time.

“Steve Jurnigan has access to cell phone apps and staffing calendars … [that] give vital information including but not limited to active calls, station assignments, fire personnel staffing and their locations as well as apparatus assignments,” the criminal complaint in the case reads. “This can be readily accessed by his personal cell phone at all times.”

In the documents, the investigating fire marshal describes arriving to the scene to find a burnt shell of a truck.

“During my walk around, I observed broken glass at the driver’s side door, but nowhere else,” the complaint reads. “The rest of the glass was burned and had melted. The glass, located on the ground at the driver’s side door, had not melted and was broken.”

When Bell was interviewed by investigators, he told them that he had been in an ongoing conflict with Jurnigan over a woman, also a firefighter. The woman had previously dated Bell before getting into a relationship with Jurnigan.

That conflict became physical March 29.

“[Bell] advised that Steve Jurnigan yelled from across the station, stating, ‘You’re a piece of s***,'” the complaint reads. “He stated that Steve Jurnigan walked over to him and place his hand on the back of his neck and was very aggressive and stated, ‘Play with fire. I can play with fire.'”

Bell also told the fire marshal that his other truck had broken down two days after that incident.

When investigators spoke with the diesel technicians servicing that truck, they said that they hadn’t been able to figure out what had made it stop running. A sample of the truck’s fuel was subsequently sent to a lab to test for contaminants -— particularly diesel exhaust fluid, which is kept at the fire station.

About 30 minutes before the call for the vehicle fire, Jurnigan was pulled over by a Suffolk Police officer for speeding and given a warning. At the time, he was driving his girlfriend’s car, something she told police she never gave him permission to do.

“Steve Jurnigan was approximately 3.1 miles from Fire Station #4. This places him in the area around the time of the fire,” according to the complaint. “[He] had the means, motive and opportunity to set the fire and remain undetected.”