The search for James Vastola continued Thursday, Dec. 11, the day after he allegedly set a fire in his father’s basement in Pleasantville and fled the scene.
Shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday, Vastola’s father reported on a 911 call that his son had started a fire in the basement of his home on Greenmeadow Road, police said.
Vastola, 32, was gone by the time police arrived. His father was treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation and released. The incident forced Pleasantville schools to open three hours late and under lockout conditions.
When asked about expanding the search to other areas of Westchester County, Pleasantville Police Chief Erik Grutzner said officials are “utilizing every means possible” to search for Vastola and “trying to be as all-encompassing as possible.”
Grutzner declined to provide further details into the progress of the search as of 11 a.m. Thursday.
Who is James Vastola?
Vastola, 32, was described by police as being 6-foot 2 inches tall, and weighing 210 pounds. He was last seen in a black and green sweatshirt, black sweatpants and white sneakers.
Vastola was released from prison Dec. 4 after serving an additional three months for an apparent parole violation, according to online records of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Vastola was sentenced in 2024 to 1 to 3 years in prison for his guilty plea to second-degree criminal solicitation. According to the June 2021 felony complaint by Pleasantville police, on April 23, 2021, Vastola sent a series of text messages to an associate urging him to kill a woman for him, offering $1,000 and saying he’d offer an additional $1,000 for every month until it was done.
“If I won’t be loved I will be feared I’m not gonna kill myself I’ll just hurt her,” he texted, according to the complaint.
Grutzner said Pleasantville Police has had dealings with Vastola and his family in the past and were aware of his release on Dec. 4. There were multiple domestic violence cases involving Vastola over the last two years while his criminal solicitation case was pending, but those records are sealed.
Is James Vastola a danger to the public?
While the incident in question was a highly-localized situation and domestic in nature, no direct threat to the public could be confirmed.
Officials say they do not believe Vastola has access to firearms, but Grutzner told The Journal News/lohud.com that “anyone who has allegedly committed a crime and trying to evade capture by police can pose a general threat to the public.”
Police seeking info from public on Vastola’s whereabouts
Anyone with information about the incident, or Vastola’s whereabouts, should call 911 or contact the Pleasantville Police Department at 914-769-1500.
“If anyone has had any contact or recognize him, call 911 immediately,” Grutzner said. “He’s not wanted for crimes against unknown people, but he is still on the run, so I would ask people to be mindful and conscious if and when they interact with him.”
Police will keep caller information confidential “to the best of their ability,” Grutzner said.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: James Vastola still at large amid Pleasantville search. What we know
Reporting by Alexandra Rivera, Jonathan Bandler and Ashley Catherine Fontones, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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