Woman arrested for allegedly setting 10 fires in the Frankford area

A woman has been arrested in connection with 10 fires set around the Frankford area, police said.

Noelle Bilbrough, 36, of the 1600 block of Pratt Street in Frankford, was taken into custody around 5:15 p.m. yesterday evening on the 1600 block of Orthodox Street and is charged with 10 counts of arson, causing a catastrophe and
criminal mischief and 12 counts of reckless endangerment. She was
arraigned around 1:40 p.m. this afternoon and bail was set at $200,000,
according to court documents.

Police said Bilbrough allegedly set two fires in
Frankford Sunday, one to an abandoned apartment on the 4400 block of
Paul Street – which became a two-alarm blaze and prompted the evacuation
of 10 people – and one on the 1500 block of Sellers Street.

She allegedly set a fire that started at a vacant residence and tore through three homes on
the 1600 block of Kinsey Street Saturday and a fire on the 4200 block of
Kensington Avenue May 17, as well as fires on the 4600 block and 4400 blocks of Frankford Avenue, the 4600 block of Ditman Street and the 4400 block of Griscom Street – all in Frankford – plus one on the 1200 block of Adams Avenue in Crescentville.

Bilbrough has a lengthy criminal history. Court documents show she was arrested May 2 for promoting prostitution and solicitation and on April 14 for receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. She is awaiting a status listing on the former charge, for which her court date was set June 5, and a preliminary hearing on the latter count, for which she was to appear June 28.

Bilbrough was also found guilty of possession of a controlled substance in 2008 and of prostitution and promoting prostitution in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, for which she received probation each time. She allegedly violated her probation on four dates in 2007 through 2009.

According to Bilbrough’s Facebook page, she studied criminal justice at the University of Phoenix, last worked as an Assistant Manager at Family Dollar Stores in 2008 and originally hails from Pine Hill, New Jersey.

View Fires allegedly set by Frankford woman Noelle Bilbrough in a larger map