Jennifer Christine Harris Arrested: Facebook Unfriending Motive In Alleged Home Arson

Authorities in Iowa say a 30-year-old woman attempted to burn down a couple's house last week in retaliation for being unfriended on Facebook.

Jennifer Christine Harris, of Des Moines, is being held in Polk County Prison on $100,000 bond after she allegedly set fire to Jim and Nikki Rasmussen's garage, forcing the couple to flee their home in the middle of the night, the Des Moines Register reports.

The siding on the house melted and the garage roof collapsed, according to reports. The Rasmussens only managed to escape the blaze after a loud booming sound woke them up.

"It was ablaze at 1 a.m. It was just totally engulfed," neighbor Dominic Formaro told ABC News.

Police say that investigations show Harris' motive was connected to an argument she and Nikki had over Facebook.

"The two are no longer friends due to a dispute over Facebook," Jim Rasmussen told officials with the Des Moines Police Department. "According to Nikki, Jen is angry with her because she ended their friendship on Facebook."

According to Detective Jack Kamerick, the dispute had much to do with a Facebook event the former-best friends were planning.

"Jen asked Nikki to create an event on Facebook for a party. Nikki did that," Kamerick told the Register. "As the date for the party approached there were a lot of 'declines,' on Facebook. It was looking like the party might be a bust. The dispute apparently blossomed."

The tension between Harris and Nikki apparently became so great that when police asked the Rasmussens who might have wished to harm them, the couple immediately pointed the finger at their former friend.

Police charged Jennifer Harris with first degree arson.

Comments

[jtj7292]

02:58 PM on 12/20/2011

This really has little to do with facebook. The headline should have been more along the lines of "Women burns down friends house over a dispute that happened to take place on the internet."

[ApprxAm]

06:23 AM on 12/06/2011

Facebook is evil. Driving good Mid-Western, real Americans nuts.

[cureyourosity]

11:47 AM on 11/21/2011

Apparently not a big fan of rejection!

[qtpeye46]

02:08 PM on 11/16/2011

This is the craziest thing I have ever seen, someone defriends you, burn down their house! why oh why do people take facebook so seriously? I have been cursed out on facebook by a family member.... I told her I forgave her and would pray for her..... she blocked me... but I am NOT going to go set her house of fire.... I said good now I can see my TRUE family and friends!

[aboyandhisdog]

10:34 AM on 11/11/2011

i grew up in des moines i most likely know are have acquaintances that do know this woman, one thing i can say is women is des moines think they have a get out of jail free card and they are nuts.

[JMarie Ammons]

04:21 AM on 11/11/2011

Be careful when you unfriend as well as when you friend

[novabird]

08:04 AM on 12/05/2011

I no longer friend people on Facebook, but if they friend me most of the time I reciprocate.

[Christina Bussmann]

09:10 PM on 11/09/2011

They were friends in real life, but the argument was over a Facebook event feud? Does anyone else find this completely stupid?

[janedoe6932]

03:34 PM on 11/09/2011

what is going on in this world? why is everyone so violent, so negative and so filled with hate/anger? this is getting outrageous people we need to start changing. if you are not mentally stable please tell a friend or go to a psych.

[Ramiro Guzman]

01:04 AM on 11/09/2011

Ah!..you never know what kind of fruitcakes lurk behind a computer...people who read this kind of stuff and write comments like...oh never mind!!...

[Christina Bussmann]

09:09 PM on 11/09/2011

LOL. Nicely done.

[AllMenShouldBeCastrated]

11:48 PM on 11/08/2011

Only in a society ruled by MEN would a woman do something like this.

[narwhalmagic]

06:14 AM on 11/09/2011

Explain??

[wwsusanb]

08:42 PM on 11/16/2011

Honey, did you not catch the screen name of this poster? Obviously has issues with men in general, lol

[cureyourosity]

11:46 AM on 11/21/2011

Oh I love loons like you! Like the woman didn't have a mind of her own? Some guy made her do it? hahaha! I take it you don't have many friends on FB either!

[Sari Meltzer]

03:44 PM on 11/08/2011

...

i'm seriously speechless

[annie82461]

08:28 AM on 11/08/2011

She looks like a serial killer!

[phantom65]

12:51 AM on 12/06/2011

She's mean looking isn't she?

[annie82461]

09:53 AM on 12/08/2011

She definetely looks evil!!!!

[Eva fate]

09:07 PM on 11/07/2011

Wow. It must be nice to have such an easy, comfortable life that throwing a party few people come to and getting unfriended are traumatic enough events to send you completely over the edge.

[janedoe6932]

03:34 PM on 11/09/2011

the motives doesn't even make sense. this women is clearly a mental case and needs help. why would anybody do something like this?

[Eva fate]

02:06 PM on 11/10/2011

Um... I'm a mental case also. Because of this, I've gotten to know many people who also had strong mental disorders, through treatment programs and whatnot. Being mentally ill doesn't mean your motives are completely nonsensical to the average person most of the time. Most of the time it just means that there are certain feelings or situations that trigger you to severely overreact to them. I stand by my statement that, even with a mental disorder, if this woman had not had a life completely devoid of growth experiences and a total lack of real world problems, she wouldn't have killed someone over a first world problem like her facebook page.

[Casamia]

09:19 PM on 11/21/2011

yep, many people don't know what tough times are so they are completely unprepared for the real world. what happens when this woman has a real issue to deal with it, im guessing that she won't know how and will react according to her emotions rather than thought and sense

[AKL1985]

06:32 PM on 11/07/2011

she looks e v i l

[mo524]

04:33 PM on 11/07/2011

I do hope this will serve as a lesson if you unfan me there will be trouble.

[pam0528]

06:34 PM on 12/25/2011

F&F mo524, I fanned you, lord jesus, lol.