FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — A man previously identified by authorities as a suspected serial arsonist following the June 20 fire at Sliders Seaside Grill in Fernandina Beach has officially been charged with eight counts of burglary of a dwelling and seven of arson, Nassau County court records show.

John Robuskie Sallas Jr., 53, of HIlliard was initially only charged with probation violation on June 26 after the Fernandina Beach Police Department posted a widely circulated video of a man setting a fire at the popular tiki bar and restaurant at 1998 S. Fletcher Ave.

Both the Fernandina Beach police and fire departments said at the time that the suspect is believed to be linked to several other fires.

Police and firefighters responded to the fire shortly after 1 a.m. and extinguished the flames. Despite the damage, the restaurant was able to reopen that afternoon.

“The business was closed at the time of the fire, which had multiple points of origin,” Fire Chief Jeremy Holmes previously said. “Thankfully, firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system were able to contain it — the situation could have been much worse.”

The video shows a man described as middle-aged with a tattoo on the side of his calf and wearing shorts, a T-shirt and baseball cap using a lighter to set an umbrella on fire in a patio area, glancing at it a couple of seconds and walking away.

Arrest warrants state two family members came forward after seeing the video, both citing their uncle’s walk, tattoos and body language as identifying features. They also advised he had been driving a dark-blue 2016 Chevy Cruze registered to his father.

Through multiple law enforcement databases, investigators verified Sallas’ background, vehicle usage, vehicle tags and location patterns that corresponded with the times and locations of multiple Nassau County arsons dating back to Oct. 24, 2024.

The fires included a pair in Fernandina Beach on Feb. 14 captured on security video, according to one of the arrest warrants. Shortly after 3 a.m. a man is seen getting out of a dark four-door vehicle in the 2500 block of First Avenue and tries to enter two vehicles before setting the car cover of a third on fire. At 3:15 a.m., the same man walks to a home across the street, removes a patio chair cushion from the porch, places it against a palm tree just a few feet away and sets the cushion on fire with a lighter.

His physical appearance, distinctive walk and mannerisms match the video at Sliders.

Another was at about 1:15 a.m. in October 2024 in the 35000 block of Quail Road in Callahan. A resident heard an explosion and saw his Ford F150 engulfed in flames. The fire also damaged another nearby parked Infinity QX56. The origin of fire was determined to be within the interior passenger compartment. Residential video surveillance shows a dark four-door vehicle driving into a parking lot and a person get out and walk nearby before the fire.

Similarly a woman and her granddaughter awoke about 1:10 a.m. to another explosion that month outside their home in the 45000 block of Dixie Avenue in Callahan. Their Toyota Prius was engulfed in flames and their rear porch also had a fire, both determined not to be accidental. More video was reviewed.

The documents do not state a possible motive. Sallas remains in jail in lieu of $630,000 bail while awaiting trial.

Editor’s note: This story was first published by our news partners, The Florida-Times Union.