LONG BEACH — Hundreds of dollars worth of fire damage to the Discovery Trail boardwalk on April 30 at approximately 11:33 p.m. has landed a man inside the Pacific County Jail Services with a felony charge.

The Long Beach Police Department and fire personnel responded to the incident. The following morning, investigators started examining surveillance footage of the area, specifically the Bolstad Beach Approach.

“It had been reported that when [officers] and [fire units] arrived the suspect was already [off] scene,” Chief Flint Wright stated in court documents. “On the different videos there was a truck that looked very similar to the suspects.”

“He had also called 911 to report the fire. The suspect has recently been posting negative comments about the boardwalk on Facebook. On May 1, at about [3:58 p.m.], I saw the suspect at his residence. He agreed to come to the station to be interviewed,” Wright added.

The fire burned a 20×20-foot area and caused approximately $500 worth of damage.

According to court documents, the man was identified as John W. Phillips, 61.

The interview with Phillips was recorded on a body camera. He reportedly downplayed the incident before coming clean about what he allegedly did.

“At first, he denied starting the fire but then finally admitted it,” Wright stated in court documents. “He was then read his Miranda Rights. He admitted to starting the fire with a Bic lighter.”

Phillips provided a written statement filled out by Wright.

“I believe I came up off the beach onto Bolstad in my truck,” Phillips reportedly stated. “I stopped at the bathrooms. I then went into the gravel parking area. I walked in from the parking lot. I walked the trail towards the boardwalk. I walked up to the stairs and used a Bic lighter to light two little spots to get the grass on fire.”

“I got in my truck and drove through town and then went back up Bolstad. That’s when I called. I probably came to my senses and realized it wasn’t a good thing that I did. I don’t know why I did it. I wasn’t in my right mind and wasn’t quite thinking clearly. I felt horrible and embarrassed,” Phillips added.

Phillips was arrested and subsequently booked into the Pacific County Jail Services for second-degree arson. He appeared for a preliminary hearing in the Pacific County Superior Court on May 2, and Judge Donald J. Richter set his bail at $25,000.

The city has been soliciting bids to completely replace the boardwalk deck.

Phillips recently called 911 to say be believed the boardwalk is unsafe.