Celebrated New York sommelier Caleb Ganzer has been arrested.
As the fire department of the US metropolis announced, he is said to have set the outside areas of two restaurants on fire.
According to the authorities, the 35-year-old is accused of arson, property damage and grossly negligent endangerment.
It is still unclear whether these were competitor stores.
According to the fire brigade, there are recordings from surveillance cameras that show that Ganzer set fire to the roofed structures of two restaurants in January and July of this year.
In June, he was also reported to have set fire to a heap of rubbish in an area of SoHo with many boutiques and restaurants.
The incidents therefore occurred at night.
Nobody was injured.
The authorities did not provide any information about Ganzer's possible motive.
The sommelier is the managing partner of the exclusive New York wine bar Compagnie des Vinssumaturels.
The company told the New York Times that Ganzer was currently on leave.
According to US media reports, Ganzer has not yet commented on the allegations.
In 2017, the well-known journal “Food and Wine” named Ganzer one of the Sommeliers of the Year.
bbr / AFP