Nikea Rivera allegedly set her apartment building on fire because she said it was haunted, authorities said.
A Massachusetts woman faces one count of arson after she allegedly set fire to her apartment building because she believed it was haunted, authorities said.
Nikea Rivera was arraigned in connection with the blaze that spread from her ground-floor unit to all three floors of the wooden structure in Boston, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
Rivera allegedly told police that she started the fire because "that house is haunted," according to court records obtained by local media.
“The devil made me do it, there are ghosts in my house,” Rivera told booking officers, Boston25 reported.
A judge ordered Rivera to undergo a mental health evaluation at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. She is due back in court on Jan. 13.
Residents living on the second floor of the home had to be rescued on ground ladders, Boston25 reported. One of those people was treated for smoke inhalation at a local hospital.
“It’s fortunate that this woman’s actions did not result in any residents or responders being seriously injured or killed. Her statements are obviously disturbing and an immediate evaluation is the proper next step,” Hayden said.
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