A Raymond man who worked as a certified New Hampshire firefighter while secretly setting fires across Rockingham County has been sentenced to 19 months in jail after pleading guilty to multiple arson charges, capping a four-year investigation that required U.S. Marshals to track him across state lines. WCAX reported that Austen M. Cooper was sentenced in Rockingham County Superior Court after admitting to a string of deliberately set fires in 2022.

The case is a striking example of a phenomenon that, while rare, has long troubled the fire service: firefighters who set fires. Cooper was a certified firefighter at the time he ignited brush fires and a structure, meaning he had the training to understand exactly what he was doing and the professional obligation to prevent it. That he went on to do it anyway, in multiple locations and using an improvised incendiary device at least once, made the case particularly serious.

The Charges and What Cooper Admitted

Cooper pleaded guilty on May 12, 2026, to three counts of felony arson to real estate and one count of felony possession of an infernal machine, a charge that refers to explosive or incendiary devices. Each of these is a felony under New Hampshire law, carrying potential for significant prison time and lasting consequences for anyone convicted.

The fires Cooper admitted to setting unfolded over a roughly three-month period in 2022. Investigators believe he intentionally set brush fires along the Rockingham Recreational Trail in Raymond and in the John B. Folsom Conservation Land in Epping between April and May of that year. Those blazes occurred on public trail and conservation land, threatening natural resources and putting anyone who happened to be in the area at risk.

On July 30, 2022, Cooper escalated to a structure fire, setting a blaze at the Welch Baseball Fields in Raymond. That fire targeted a building at a community recreation site, a place used by families and youth athletes. The move from brush fires to a structure represented a significant escalation in the severity of what Cooper was doing.

The infernal machine charge arose from the Epping fire, where investigators discovered an incendiary device at the scene. The presence of a constructed device rather than a simple ignition source indicated planning and deliberate preparation, factors that weighed heavily in how prosecutors and the court viewed the case.

A Four-Year Investigation

The NH State Fire Marshal’s office began investigating what appeared to be serial arson across Rockingham County as the fires occurred in 2022. Determining that multiple fires share a common cause, and then identifying who set them, is painstaking investigative work. Fire scenes must be carefully examined, accelerant patterns identified, possible ignition points isolated, and witness and surveillance information compiled and compared.

In Cooper’s case, the investigation took four years to reach a prosecution, and it ultimately crossed state lines. Cooper, who was from Raymond at the time of the fires and had previously lived in Huntingburg, Indiana, was located in Indiana when investigators were ready to move against him. In December 2025, U.S. Marshals arrested Cooper in Indiana, and he was extradited back to New Hampshire to face the charges.

The use of federal marshals for the arrest reflects the seriousness with which law enforcement treated the case. U.S. Marshals are typically used to apprehend fugitives or defendants who have crossed state lines, and their involvement here suggests Cooper was not cooperative in returning to face charges voluntarily.

The Sentence and Its Terms

Rockingham County Superior Court sentenced Cooper to 19 months in custody, with 14 months remaining on the sentence at the time of the sentencing hearing given the time he had already spent incarcerated since his December 2025 arrest. Following his release, Cooper will be on probation for ten years, and if he violates the conditions of his probation at any point during that decade, he faces up to an additional five years in state prison.

The conditions of Cooper’s release include a prohibition on applying for or accepting work as any sort of emergency first responder. He cannot join a fire department, an ambulance service, or any similar organization. This condition is a direct response to the nature of his crimes: a firefighter using his position and knowledge to commit arson is exactly the kind of situation that condition is designed to prevent from recurring.

The NH State Fire Marshal’s office has also filed a petition to have Cooper’s firefighter certification formally revoked, which would make the prohibition on emergency response work a matter of official record rather than just a probation condition.

The Psychology of Firefighter Arson

The phenomenon of firefighters setting fires is well-documented in criminology and fire investigation literature. Studies conducted by the U.S. Fire Administration and other research bodies have found that firefighter arsonists are more common than most people assume, and that their motivations vary. Some are driven by a desire to be the hero who discovers or battles the fire. Others act out of boredom, a craving for excitement, or the thrill of watching fire. Some have psychological disorders that involve fire fascination. A small number set fires for material reasons, such as insurance fraud.

The profile that emerges in many cases is someone who genuinely loves the work of firefighting but who has crossed a psychological line into treating fire as something to be created rather than fought. The fact that Cooper was certified means he went through training that explicitly covers the dangers of arson and the harm it causes to communities. Whatever his motivations, that training was not a sufficient deterrent.

For fire departments across New Hampshire and the country, cases like Cooper’s reinforce the importance of background checks, psychological screening where possible, and a culture that encourages firefighters to report concerns about colleagues. The vast majority of firefighters serve with dedication and integrity, and a case like this, while serious, should not cast a shadow over that service.

Rockingham County’s Fire Infrastructure

Rockingham County, where the fires occurred, is New Hampshire’s most populous county, covering communities in the southeast corner of the state from the Massachusetts border up toward the Seacoast region. Raymond, where Cooper lived, is a mid-sized town of around 13,000 people with a volunteer and on-call fire department that, like many suburban New Hampshire departments, relies heavily on community members to staff it.

The Rockingham Recreational Trail, where some of the brush fires were set, runs through multiple communities and is used for hiking, horseback riding, and other outdoor recreation. Setting fires along such a trail puts not just the natural environment at risk but also any trail users who might be in the area and unable to escape quickly.

The John B. Folsom Conservation Land in Epping is a protected natural area managed for wildlife habitat and passive recreation. Brush fires in such an area can cause lasting ecological damage, destroying vegetation, disrupting wildlife habitat, and increasing erosion risks.

What Happens Now

With Cooper sentenced and the fire marshal’s certification petition underway, the legal chapter of this case is largely closed. The longer-term question is what it means for fire investigation in the region and for the fire service more broadly.

The NH State Fire Marshal’s office, which led the investigation, emerged from the case with a successful prosecution after a complex, multi-year inquiry. That kind of result depends on careful forensic work and sustained investigative attention, and it sends a message that New Hampshire will follow arson cases wherever they lead, including across state lines.

For the communities where the fires were set, particularly the families who use Raymond’s Welch Baseball Fields and the trail users in Epping and Raymond, the closure of the criminal case is at least a formal acknowledgment of what happened and a measure of accountability for it.

Related New Hampshire crime coverage: Maine Inmate Brian Day Captured in Rochester After Walking Off Thomaston Work Site and Hillsborough County Judge Issues $15.5 Million Wrongful Death Judgment Against Adam Montgomery.

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Who is Austen Cooper and what did he plead guilty to?

Austen M. Cooper is a Raymond, New Hampshire man who was a certified firefighter at the time he set a series of fires in Rockingham County in 2022. He pleaded guilty on May 12, 2026 in Rockingham County Superior Court to three counts of felony arson to real estate and one count of felony possession of an infernal machine. He was sentenced to 19 months in jail, with 14 months remaining, and faces 10 years of probation after release.

Where did Austen Cooper set fires in New Hampshire?

Cooper set brush fires along the Rockingham Recreational Trail in Raymond and in the John B. Folsom Conservation Land in Epping between April and May 2022. On July 30, 2022, he also set fire to a structure at the Welch Baseball Fields in Raymond. An incendiary device was discovered at the Epping fire scene, supporting the felony possession of an infernal machine charge.

How was Austen Cooper caught?

The NH State Fire Marshal’s office conducted a four-year investigation into serial arson across Rockingham County. When investigators were ready to arrest Cooper, he was located in Indiana. In December 2025, U.S. Marshals arrested him in Indiana, and he was extradited back to New Hampshire to face charges. He had previously lived in Huntingburg, Indiana before living in Raymond.

Can Austen Cooper work as a firefighter again?

No. As a condition of his probation, Cooper is prohibited from applying for or accepting work as any sort of emergency first responder. Additionally, the NH State Fire Marshal’s office has filed a petition to formally revoke his firefighter certification. Violating probation conditions could result in up to five additional years in state prison.

How common is it for firefighters to commit arson?

While rare, firefighter-committed arson is a documented phenomenon studied by the U.S. Fire Administration and fire investigation researchers. Motivations vary and may include a desire for excitement, a craving to be a hero, psychological fixation on fire, or in some cases personal or financial motivations. Fire departments are encouraged to conduct background checks, psychological screening where feasible, and foster a culture where concerns about colleagues can be raised. The vast majority of firefighters serve with integrity and dedication.

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