Arsonists who burned Tarrytown Lighthouse agree to $81k payment deal to avoid prison time

Two baby-faced Westchester arsonists who admitted to torching a beloved Hudson River lighthouse will get to avoid jail time thanks to a plea deal that allows them to buy their freedom. 

Elvin Ayavaca, 19, and Richard Joseph Barrero, 20, both pleaded guilty on Monday in exchange for a sweetheart deal that allows the arsonists to dodge any time in prison — as long as they cough up nearly $81,000 each and stay out of trouble for the rest of the year, according to the Westchester DA’s office. 

If the pair, who caused roughly $100,000 in damage to Westchester’s historic Tarrytown Lighthouse, fail to pay the money or comply with the rest of the conditions, including community service, they each could be tossed away for up to 15 years in prison on the arson charge. 

“The restitution we secured as part of their plea agreements sends a clear message that acts of vandalism against our community’s historic treasures will not be tolerated,” Westchester DA Susan Cacace said in a statement.

She also suggested that recouping the money to repair the historic lighthouse would justify sparing the pair of felony convictions, according to The Journal News. 

Although the deal demands they each pay roughly $81,000 each, Westchester Judge Erin McGoey promised that if they each initially pay $50,000 while abiding the rest of the terms, she would drop the felony charges and they will be sentenced to probation on a misdemeanor.

In May 2025, the pair set a blaze on the lighthouse that gutted the 143-year-old Hudson River landmark just months after it wrapped a lengthy $3.4 million restoration.

Ayavaca, Barrero, and two 17-year-old accomplices were caught on surveillance video scaling a locked gate around 3:30 a.m. on May 31 of that year to reach the footbridge leading to the lighthouse, according to investigators. 

By the time a county parks employee stumbled on the wreckage that morning, and detailed that a fire had torn through the first two floors, windows were smashed out and antiques inside had been destroyed.

“This was a reckless and destructive attack on one of Westchester County’s most treasured historic landmarks,” said Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins. 

“The guilty pleas send a clear message that those who vandalize and destroy public property will be held accountable,” Jenkins added. 

The two teenagers involved ultimately had their cases funneled through Family Court, sparing them of any potential criminal record. Their names and how their cases were resolved remain unclear and sealed because of their age.