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A Suffolk firefighter has been arrested and accused of setting another firefighter’s truck on fire over a past relationship.

Steve T. Jurnigan was arrested by the Suffolk Department of Fire & Rescue’s (SFR) Fire Marshal’s Office and charged with the following:

• Maliciously Burn or Destroy (felony)
• Intentionally Destroy Property (felony)
• Unauthorized use of an auto (felony)
• Assault and Battery (misdemeanor)

City officials said Jurnigan has been employed with SFR since 2005 and has been placed on administrative leave without pay. 

According to the arrest warrant, obtained by Suffolk News-Herald, on May 10 at approximately 3:04 a.m., Suffolk Emergency Communications received a call about a vehicle fire at Suffolk Fire Station 4. The caller stated there was a truck on fire at the station and it was not near any other vehicles.

No fire personnel were present at the station, as they were on another call that was dispatched approximately 11 minutes earlier. When they left the station, fire personnel stated, they did not see any smoke or fire coming from the vehicle.

Engine 1 arrived on the scene at approximately 3:15 a.m. and found the truck “fully engulfed with fire coming from the passenger’s compartment.” The fire was controlled and the on-duty fire marshal was called.

Fire Investigator N.P. Walker wrote in the criminal complaint that he arrived on scene at approximately 3:56 a.m. and saw the “shell” of a burned 2000 Chevrolet 1500 registered to David Bell, a Suffolk firefighter. The owner of the truck, Trent Bell, is David Bell’s son and also a Suffolk firefighter. Trent was on Engine 4 at the time of the fire.

Walker wrote that he “observed burn damage to the entire passenger’s compartment along with fire extension to the engine compartment and truck bed. The bulk of the fire damage was to the passengers’ compartment. During my walk around, I observed broken glass at the driver’s side door, but nowhere else. The rest of the glass was burned and had melted. The glass, located on the ground at the driver’s door, had not melted and was broken.”

The complaint states that Trent Bell told Walker the truck did not have any mechanical issues and his other truck, a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado, was in the shop due to an unexpected mechanical issue. On the morning of March 31, the Silverado started blowing white smoke and stopped working after he had driven approximately 1,300 feet. He had the truck towed to a diesel repair shop and diagnosed.

Walker wrote that after the fire, he asked Trent Bell if anyone had been mad at him. Trent told Walker about recent events with Jurnigan.

Trent told Walker that he had dated another firefighter, Brianna Biddy, who started dating Jurnigan at the end of 2024, according to the complaint. Trent told Walker that Jurnigan was “confrontational” with him at work on March 29, then walked over to him and placed his hand on the back of his neck and aggressively stated, “Play with fire, I can play with fire.”

Trent told Walker he thinks Jurnigan was mad that he and Biddy were still friends and had communication.

On May 15, Walker wrote he went to EVIL Diesel to speak with the owner and manager about Trent Bell’s Silverado that had previously been taken in.

Walker wrote that he was told the vehicle was still being diagnosed. The shop owner said the introduction of diesel exhaust fluid would cause the truck’s symptoms. The owner advised that the total cost of repairs would be about $7,000.

The complaint states Jurnigan would have had access to the fire station’s diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

Walker wrote that on May 12, utilizing Flock Safety systems, he ran Biddy’s and Jurnigan’s license plates on the morning of the fire. He received a hit on Biddy’s plate traveling eastbound on Pruden Boulevard at approximately 2:31 a.m. on May 10. 

At approximately 2:34 a.m., the Suffolk Police Department stopped the car registered to Biddy. The officer who stopped the car reported that the driver was dressed in all black, stated the vehicle was his girlfriend’s car, and he did not have his driver’s license on him. According to the complaint, the driver stated his name was Steve Jurnigan and gave the officer his Social Security number. 

Jurnigan was issued a verbal warning for his speed and released at 2:39 a.m.

According to an intersection camera, the vehicle did not continue traveling eastbound through the intersection of Pruden Boulevard and King’s Fork Road. The only other turn-off is Providence Road, leading toward Fire Station 4. 

On May 23, Walker interviewed Biddy, who stated she went to Jurnigan’s house and told him she wanted to slow down their relationship because she still had feelings for Trent Bell. She said she stayed the night at Jurnigan’s house.

Walker asked if she had given Jurnigan permission to use her car or if she knew he used her car on May 10. She stated she did not know or give him permission.

According to the complaint, Jurnigan has access to cellphone apps and staffing calendars that provide information on active calls, station assignments, fire personnel staffing and their location as well as apparatus assignments and can be accessed by his personal cellphone at all times.

The complaint reads, “It is known that Steve Jurnigan entered the City of Suffolk and was stopped by Suffolk PD just prior to the vehicle fire. Suffolk PD stopped Steve Jurnigan at 4169 Pruden Blvd. Steve Jurnigan was approximately 3.1 miles from Fire Station No. 4. This places him in the area around the time of the fire. Steve Jurnigan had the means, motive and opportunity to set the fire and remain undetected, as the Engine crew was on a call when the car fire was dispatched.”

The Suffolk Fire Marshal’s Office is the lead agency for the investigation, which is ongoing.