Prosecutors say an 11-year-old witnessed threats and a fire that left her pregnant mother hospitalized and helped investigators locate the suspect.
NEW YORK — An 11-year-old girl’s account became a central part of the investigation into an alleged attack on her pregnant mother in Brooklyn, where prosecutors say the child witnessed threats before the woman was set on fire inside their Crown Heights apartment.
The child’s father, Kenneth Rickenbacker, 44, was arrested and ordered held without bail after the Saturday attack at the Kingsborough Houses. He faces charges including attempted murder, assault, arson, criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child. The allegations remain unproven, and the criminal case is pending.
Prosecutors said Rickenbacker argued with Vanessa Edmonds, 38, shortly after 5 p.m. Oct. 24 and threatened both Edmonds and their daughter with a knife. He then allegedly threw rubbing alcohol on Edmonds and set her on fire while the child was nearby.
The girl later told investigators what she had seen and provided information that helped officers find Rickenbacker, according to officials cited by NY1. News 12 reported that prosecutors also said the child told police Rickenbacker had threatened to hurt her and Edmonds if she disclosed what happened.
Responding officers found smoke at the apartment and evidence of fire damage, prosecutors said. Edmonds suffered severe burns and was taken to a burn center in Manhattan, where she was placed in a medically induced coma. A parole officer told the court that Edmonds is pregnant.
Rickenbacker left the scene and later went to a police precinct in Queens to report the fire, according to court reporting. Officers arrested him there. He appeared at his arraignment with extensive bandaging on his head and hands, and his lawyer told the court that he had suffered burns.
Rickenbacker gave police an account that differed from the prosecution’s version. He said Edmonds had rubbing alcohol on her hand and caught fire from a cigarette after he pushed her away during an argument, according to reports describing his statement to investigators. A judge nevertheless ordered him held in custody while the charges proceed.
The new case also brings renewed attention to Rickenbacker’s criminal history. A New York appellate decision shows that he pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon after a 2015 case in Sullivan County and was sentenced in November 2016 to nine years in prison followed by five years of postrelease supervision.
Contemporary reporting on the 2015 incident said police accused Rickenbacker of holding his girlfriend and several others in a Monticello home and firing shots during a domestic dispute. The appellate ruling did not make those underlying allegations the basis of its later decision; it addressed Rickenbacker’s weapons conviction and sentence, which the court affirmed in 2019.
A Brooklyn judge has issued orders of protection barring Rickenbacker from contacting Edmonds and their daughter. News 12 reported that his criminal case was scheduled to return to court Oct. 30, with separate parole proceedings set for November. NY1 reported a Nov. 2 return date. Rickenbacker remains in custody.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 27, 2026.