The man arrested is Joseph Smith, of Saude Avenue in Essington.
It was around 4:00 a.m. Friday when police and firefighters were called to an apartment at 2 Pohattan Avenue.
Officers arrived to find a resident standing outside, saying there was an intruder inside.
Police said the back porch was on fire and Smith standing there with a shovel.
According to investigators, Smith said he thought it was his house and he was trying to put the fire out with the shovel.
Police went on to say he had .44 caliber bullets on him, and a loaded .44 caliber handgun was on the property. The gun had been reported stolen, police said.
Furthermore, police say, Smith matched the description of a person seen running from a business following a gunshot one block from the fire scene.
Smith was charged with arson along with related offenses, burglary, possessing an offensive weapon, receiving stolen property, causing or risking a catastrophe, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and other related charges.
One officer from Tinicum Township suffered a minor injury during this incident, police said.
