| Arsonist damages famous Gamble & Huff Philadelphia International Records Studio
Sign in to disble this ad
Arsonist damages famous Gamble & Huff Philadelphia International Records Studio
By STEPHANIE FARR
Philadelphia Daily News
All the really bad hangovers come with arrest warrants.
Police and fire officials said that Chris Cimini, 27, was so drunk when he broke into Philadelphia International Records early Sunday that he thought he was breaking into his home or the house of someone he knew.
Surveillance cameras caught Cimini stumbling around for more than an hour, using a lighter to find his way around the dark building where Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle and Teddy Pendergrass have recorded, police said.
He then purposefully set a fire in the merchandise storage room using CDs and T-shirts, Fire Marshal Jim Bonner said.
That was five to 10 minutes after he sprayed a fire extinguisher - just for the fun of it - in another part of the building, Bonner said.
As the fire he set grew out of control, Cimini realized the danger of the situation and broke out a third-floor window about 7:30 a.m., screaming to be saved by the fire department below, said East Detective Capt. John Gallagher, who commands that division's arson response team.
A 35-foot ladder was used to rescue Cimini, who was treated for cuts and scratches, interviewed by police and later released, Gallagher said.
Yesterday, an arrest warrant for arson, burglary, risking a catastrophe and related crimes was filed for Cimini, of Fairhill Street near Oregon Avenue in South Philly. He turned himself in to East Detectives with his lawyer, police said.
Leon Huff, half of the Gamble and Huff duo who produced songs in the building like "Back Stabbers" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now," said yesterday that he was glad for the arrest but saddened that someone would get a thrill out of destruction.
About 40 percent of the memorabilia in the building, including many gold records, was damaged in the blaze.
"I know me and [Kenny] Gamble are going to persevere," he said. "It's going to take a while, but we'll persevere."
The master recordings were safe in an underground vault outside the city.
He said that they would write a song - or several - about the experience, and that he already has one that's appropriate for the bizarre circumstances.
"I been working on my album now for a few years, and I got a cut on it called 'Strange Things are Happening Every Day,' " he said. "This just fits right in there."
Cops said that Cimini was drinking throughout the city Saturday night into Sunday with friends, but was alone when he went banging on the door to Philadelphia International Records, on Broad Street near Spruce.
When no one answered - at 6 a.m. - he kicked the glass and climbed inside, police said.
In light of his drunken state and the vandalism that followed, Cimini is lucky to be alive, police said.
"He was completely intoxicated, almost incoherent to the point that we're amazed he didn't have more injuries," Gallagher said.
Cimini's blood-alcohol content was not available. | 
