LEWISTOWN, PA – A 40-year-old man out of Lewistown, Pennsylvania, is facing a litany of charges after authorities say the suspect set a home on fire, resulting in one death and two others being injured, after a woman at the residence allegedly rejected the romantic advances of the suspect.
Lewistown Police arrested 40-year-old Robert Shane Zimmerman under suspicion of setting a residence located off the 200 block of Bratton Avenue on fire minutes before midnight on May 6th.
Responding officers reportedly discovered a deceased female victim and two other victims, one male and one female, who’d suffered significant injuries stemming from the fire.
The deceased was identified as 44-year-old Brandy Phillipe, an Army veteran, who’d reportedly become trapped inside the home while it was ablaze.
Witnesses reportedly told investigators they’d seen Zimmerman at the home prior to the fire, where the suspect was alleged to have shared his feelings for one of the victims which were not reciprocated.
“It was reported that Zimmerman became upset when he was rejected by the female and he began setting several items on fire on the first floor of the residence,” a press release from the Lewistown Police Department reads.
“During a subsequent investigation, witnesses reported hearing Zimmerman making admissions to starting the fire as well as seeing him standing in a nearby alley watching the residence begin to burn.”
Zimmerman was arrested at the scene of the fire initially on an outstanding warrant, with officials noting the arresting officers said the suspect smelled of “ash and smoke.”
The suspect reportedly claimed to have ingested fentanyl while being taken into custody and was subsequently transported to an area hospital and medically discharged hours later.
While being questioned about the arson incident, authorities say Zimmerman “made several incriminating statements” and displayed “a strong emotional response” to the news that one victim had died as a result of the fire.
Authorities confirmed the suspect is being held at the Mifflin County Correctional Facility while formal charges are expected to be filed later in May.
The surviving female victim, who was apparently the object of the suspect’s affection, was also taken into custody for a “prothonotary warrant issued in February 2026,” although additional details on the warrant were not shared by authorities.
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