Trio charged in 2023 fire that killed veteran Chicago firefighter

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Three men face numerous criminal charges tied to last year’s Far South Side house fire that killed Chicago Firefighter Jermaine Pelt .

Chicago Police announced the charges Friday, noting the three suspects were arrested earlier this week.

Two are accused of deliberately setting fire to a house at 120th and Wallace back on April 4, 2023, while a third allegedly concocted a financial scheme to benefit off the fire.

Twenty-two-year-old Martez Cristler of Hammond and 37-year-old Nicholas Virgil of Riverdale have each been charged with six felonies, including murder and aggravated arson.

A third man, 47-year-old Anthony Moore of Blue Island, has been charged with five separate financial crimes, including wire fraud, insurance fraud and forgery.

The three suspects are expected to appear in court on Friday for an initial detention hearing.

Pelt, 49, was part of the crews that responded to the house fire. It eventually spread to three buildings.

Pelt was dousing the fire with a hose from the second floor of a neighboring building when that structure also caught fire. Pelt was working alongside a lieutenant when the two received an order to evacuate the building.

Pelt was found, brought out for treatment and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy found Pelt died of smoke inhalation.

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