A South Carolina judge’s million-dollar beachfront home caught fire on Sunday, resulting in three people hospitalized. Authorities confirmed the residence of Circuit Court Judge Diana Goodstein and her husband, former Democrat state senator Arnold Goodstein, was engulfed in flames. Both Goodstein and her husband were taken to the hospital for injuries, along with a third individual whose identity remains undisclosed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The blaze occurred at the couple’s Edisto Beach home, with reports indicating smoke plumes rising into the air. Arnold Goodstein reportedly jumped from the first floor to escape the flames, while two other occupants were rescued by neighbors and paramedics from a remote marshy area behind the three-story property. Emergency workers reached the individuals via kayaks, according to the St. Paul’s Fire District. One person was airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina, while the others were transported by ground.
Sources close to the Goodstein family stated Arnold Goodstein required air evacuation after sustaining multiple fractures in his hips, legs, and feet. Rep. Nancy Mace raised concerns about potential political motives, urging authorities to determine if the incident constituted an act of intimidation. SLED and local law enforcement are examining the circumstances, with Mace emphasizing that any evidence of political violence would represent an attack on the rule of law.