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Man arrested in Sunny Isles Beach for arson at Aventura gas station

John “Johnny” Zemliska was arrested for arson on Wednesday in Miami-Dade. (MDCR)

SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. – Police officers recently arrested a homeless man in Sunny Isles Beach for arson in Aventura.

According to a police report, John “Johnny” Zemliska’s left foot was amputated and the North Dakota native has been down on his luck in South Florida.

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Surveillance video shows the wheelchair user shortly before 4 a.m., on Tuesday at a Mobile gas station along Biscayne Boulevard at Northeast 191 Street, police said.

Zemliska allegedly set the garbage in a dumpster there on fire and fled. Police officers reported arresting him Wednesday at the Chevron gas station along Collins Avenue and 178 Street.

Zemliska was at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday afternoon in Miami-Dade facing charges of first-degree arson and criminal mischief of $1,000 or more.

Zemliska appeared in court and a judge ordered him to stay away from the gas station. His bond was $15,000. Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Laura Anne Stuzin was set to preside over his case.


About the Author
Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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