Feb. 6—A 44-year-old man faces arson and burglary charges after police said he tried to steal a work truck on the Norfolk Southern Railroad property in northeast Reading before going on a destructive rampage.

Darius J. McPherson, no permanent address, threatened two employees with a length of metal pipe he stole from the truck, demanding the keys to the heavy-duty truck, city police said. He is also accused of trying to set the building on fire with a soldering torch, using liquid hand sanitizer as the accelerant, while the workers were inside.

McPherson was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bail to await a hearing.

In addition to burglary and arson, he faces charges of risking a catastrophe, attempted robbery, theft from a motor vehicle, making terroristic threats and related counts.

The incident happened about 9:30 a.m. Monday on railroad property in the 700 block of Nicolls Street, which is near Eighth and Spring streets. The property is posted with “trespassing” signs.

Investigators provided this additional account:

When they refused to provide the keys, McPherson threw the pipe at the truck, breaking the side mirror. He then tried to smash the exterior window to the office while the workers were inside.

Finally, he poured a container of hand sanitizer onto the ground and tried to ignite the liquid using a soldering torch he stole from the truck. Although he had activated the torch, the flame failed to ignite the liquid that he poured onto the ground.

McPherson threw the torch through the window, but the flame went out because of a safety feature that deactivates the flame if the user isn’t holding down the igniter button.

No one was injured.

McPherson ran off but responding officers caught him in the 700 block of North Eighth Street and took him into custody.