Police Hunt 32-Year-Old Thomas David Ryan in Orange County Arson Homicide

Q: What dark secret connects a fatal, intentionally set house fire to an armed man fleeing in a gray Prius?

The “dark secret” police are investigating is a suspected homicide concealed by arson: authorities say a Greenville house fire was intentionally set, and a dead man was found inside. Investigators want Thomas David Ryan, 32, in connection with that killing and the fire, and they consider him armed and dangerous. The clearest reported link from the additional coverage is that the victim was Ryan’s 70-year-old father, Robert Ryan, whose body was found in the burned home on Greenville Turnpike. State Police have not publicly detailed the motive, the exact cause of death, or whether the victim was killed before the fire was set, but they have said the blaze was deliberate and the death is being treated as a homicide. Ryan is believed to have fled in a 2016 gray Toyota Prius with New York plate HNH-7671 and is known to frequent the Plattsburgh area. He is described as about 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, last seen wearing a black T-shirt and black sweatpants. Investigators are running a multi-agency search and are asking residents to provide home surveillance footage from roughly 6 p.m. on Aug. 6 through the overnight hours. Such video could help establish Ryan’s movements, the Prius’s route, and the timeline around the fire. Police stress that no one should approach Ryan. Anyone who sees him, the Prius, or has relevant information should call 911 or contact New York State Police Troop F/BCI at 845-344-5300.

3 articles · Updated · WCAX · Aug 7

Orange County investigators are seeking Thomas David Ryan, 32, after a man was found dead inside a Greenville home following a Thursday night fire.
Police said the blaze was deliberately set and are treating the death as a homicide, warning that Ryan is armed and dangerous.
Northern New York authorities said Ryan is known to frequent the Plattsburgh area and urged residents not to approach him.
Police described Ryan as 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds and said he may be driving a 2016 gray Toyota Prius with New York plate HNH7671.