Matthew Camp’s house set on fire in apparent hate crime: ‘We escaped with seconds to spare’
Excl: "Everything I have ever owned is gone" says model and TV star
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Attitude/Instagram/@matthewcamp
Model and TV star Matthew Camp has claimed his New York State home was set on fire by an arsonist in an “apparent hate crime”.
The former Attitude cover star announced the news on Instagram today, along with shocking photos of the blaze and a CCTV grab of the alleged arsonist in disguise.
Speaking to Attitude, Matthew said he and a friend escaped the fire in Poughkeepsie on 14 January with “seconds to spare.”
“I can’t imagine we had more than 20-30 seconds before it would have been too late”
“The explosion woke me up,” Camp told us. “We escaped so fast we thankfully didn’t get too many lungfuls [of smoke].”
Confirming both are “OK”, Camp added: “The photo from the front of the house was right when we got outside. Our bedrooms on the second floor had already been engulfed in flames, so I can’t imagine we had more than 20-30 seconds before it would have been too late.”
Speaking of the police response, the Slag Wars star said officials have been “very supportive and queer-friendly. I feel genuinely cared for.”
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He continued: “It’s honestly nice that the people handling our case are so open to us as queer people, and understanding, even making sure they use the right pronouns. It’s very comforting.”
“I couldn’t handle all the attention I knew it would get,” the star said of announcing the news. “I had to wait a few days.”
“I am alive to face this person one day”
In his initial Instagram post, the OnlyFans model said: “An arsonist poured gasoline on the front porch of my home and set it on fire in an apparent hate crime. I was asleep inside. I am alive to face this person one day but everything I have ever owned is gone.
“Share this story because queer people are still under attack all over the world. Our voices will not be silenced.
“Right now I’m just living day to day trying to piece together what’s left. If you are able to help there’s a link in my bio. Thank you for the love and support and continued fight to keep our queer families safe.”
In his Instagram Stories, Matthew added: “An unknown suspect poured gasoline on my house and set it on fire while I slept. These images are shocking. Someone tried to kill me.
“My friend Six and I made it out with seconds to spare before our bedrooms went up in flames. Do not mistake this – it was a hate crime. I know this is hard to watch but I lived so I can share. I will not be scared into submission.
“This still happens to queer people. In 2021. In America. As you can see I have nothing left. GoFundMe is great if you can. There’s also OnlyFans that’s $10 if you want to support in that way.”
According to the Daily Mail, the fire was allegedly set at 5am and the flames burned for 90 minutes.
Attitude has contacted Matthew’s local police force in Poughkeepsie for comment.