3-06-2025 6:55pm

Cockeysville Trucker Arrested

Cockeysville Trucker Torches Tractor-Trailer Along I-68 In Maryland: Fire Marshal

A Baltimore County man is facing serious charges after investigators say he intentionally set his disabled semi-truck on fire along I-68 in Western Maryland.

Robert Steven Silver, 42, of Cockeysville, was arrested Tuesday, March 4, with the help of Baltimore County Police after a months-long investigation by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The incident happened on the night of Oct. 12, 2024, when firefighters from the Baltimore Pike Volunteer Fire Company responded to a burning tractor-trailer at the 50-mile marker of the interstate.

Crews arrived to find flames inside a 2012 Volvo D13, which they quickly controlled.

Investigators later determined the fire was intentionally set, causing an estimated $30,000 in damage.

According to officials, Silver abandoned the truck after it became disabled, then later returned to set it on fire before fleeing back to Baltimore County.

Following months of investigation, Deputy State Fire Marshals charged Silver with second-degree arson, malicious burning/fraud, and reckless endangerment.

He was later released after posting a $10,000 unsecured bond.

Just before 8:00 p.m. that evening, the Baltimore Pike Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched for a tractor-trailer on fire on Interstate 68 at the 50-mile marker. Upon their arrival, they discovered a fire inside a 2012 Volvo D13. Firefighters controlled the fire within minutes, and the Office of the State Fire Marshal was requested to investigate the cause.

Investigators later concluded the fire was intentionally set, causing around $30,000 in damages. Over several months, Deputy State Fire Marshals eventually concluded that Silver, the vehicle's owner and operator, had intentionally set the fire after it became disabled. They learned he had left the vehicle along the road and later returned to set the fire and flee back to Baltimore County.

Silver was arrested by the Baltimore County Police Department yesterday. He was charged with second-degree arson, malicious burning/fraud, and reckless endangerment.