Kenneth Rickenbacker was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Monday with his head wrapped in bandages from burns allegedly suffered during the attack.
Rickenbacker, 44, faces attempted murder, arson, assault, and child endangerment charges after prosecutors say he doused his 38-year-old girlfriend in accelerant and set her ablaze inside a Crown Heights apartment on Oct. 24. The assault unfolded just after 5 p.m. Inside a unit at the Kingsborough Houses, with the couple’s 11-year-old daughter present and watching from feet away, according to the criminal complaint.
Before the fire, Rickenbacker allegedly threatened his young daughter with a knife, court documents state. He then turned his attention to his girlfriend, carrying out what prosecutors described as a brutal blazing assault before fleeing the apartment as flames spread.
First responders arrived to find smoke billowing from the apartment door and a voice crying out in pain near a torched mattress. The victim was rushed to Weill Cornell Hospital Burn Center, where she remains in a medically induced coma.
Rickenbacker was arrested after he attempted to report the fire to police in Queens, but officers instead took him into custody, sources said.
The defendant offered a starkly different account to investigators. He claimed the fire was a bizarre accident that occurred when he pushed his girlfriend during an altercation while stopping by to pick up his daughter. Rickenbacker told cops his girlfriend already had rubbing alcohol on her hands, and when he shoved her, she caught fire from a lit cigarette he was holding.
Prosecutors rejected that explanation, charging Rickenbacker with multiple felonies including attempted murder and arson. The child endangerment count stems from the alleged knife threat against his daughter and her presence during the violent assault.
At Monday’s arraignment, Rickenbacker appeared with nearly his entire head covered in bandages. His lawyer told the court the wraps were treating burn injuries Rickenbacker sustained.
The victim’s current condition beyond her medically induced coma was not detailed in court filings. The extent of her burns and her prognosis remain unclear as she receives specialized care at the Manhattan burn center.
Rickenbacker’s case highlights a pattern of domestic violence escalating to extreme violence with a child caught in the middle. The alleged use of accelerant and the presence of the couple’s daughter during the attack formed the basis for the most serious charges against him.
He remains in custody pending further court proceedings in Brooklyn.