Tag:

Arson

Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money
Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Questionable DNA evidence found under the fingernails of a 70-year-old Bergen County woman bludgeoned and burned in her home may have gotten her killer a new trial, but it didn't change the outcome. For a second time, a jury in Hackensack convicted Daniel Rochat on Wednesday of all charges in the brutal September 2012 slaying of real estate agent Barbara Vernieri in her East Rutherford home. Rochat, 48, of Wood-Ridge was originally convicted in June 2017 of beating Vernieri, then pouring gasoline on her and around her home before setting it on fire to cover up the crime scene. Pros…
Arsonist, 44, Charged In South Jersey Church Fire: Police Arsonist, 44, Charged In South Jersey Church Fire: Police
Arsonist, 44, Charged In South Jersey Church Fire: Police A 44-year-old man has been charged with arson in connection with a blaze that broke out at a South Jersey church, police said. Brian Cannon is believed to have set fire to the Colonial Manor United Methodist Church on Elberne Avenue in West Deptford on Friday, April 20, local police said. He was charged with two counts of arson and aggravated assault. Multiple fire companies responded to the church around 6:40 a.m. Friday. One firefighter was hospitalized with an injury suffered fighting the blaze, and has since been released.
Police Detail Suicide Note Penned By NJ Dad Before Killing 9-Year-Old Son: Affidavit Police Detail Suicide Note Penned By NJ Dad Before Killing 9-Year-Old Son: Affidavit
Police Detail Suicide Note Penned By NJ Dad Before Killing 9-Year-Old Son: Affidavit The death of a 9-year-old boy at the hands of his father in Sayreville was intended to be a murder-suicide, according to police paperwork obtained by Daily Voice. Manuel Rivera, 43, recorded an apology video following a marital dispute he’d been having with a “witness” just before leaving an Eisenhower Drive home with the 9-year-old boy Thursday, March 28, according to an affidavit for probable cause obtained by Daily Voice. “We spoke to a witness who indicated that her and Mr. Rivera were having marital issues and that he sent her a video to her phone,” Sayreville Police Det…
Dad Charged With Murder In 9-Year-Old Son's Death Is Employed By Sayreville Schools: Officials Dad Charged With Murder In 9-Year-Old Son's Death Is Employed By Sayreville Schools: Officials
Dad Charged With Murder In 9-Year-Old Son's Death Is Employed By Sayreville Schools: Officials Charges have been upgraded for a New Jersey dad whose deceased 9-year-old son was found in a burning vehicle, authorities said. Manuel Rivera has been charged with second-degree aggravated arson, first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and second-degree desecration of human remains, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said. According to Sayreville Schools Superintendent Richard Labbe, 43-year-old Rivera was employed by the district, and his son was a student at the Wilson School. The charges were filed in connection with an incident Thursday…
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors A Plumsted Township man was accused of intentionally starting two fires in Ocean County, authorities said. Edward Petroni, 41, was charged on Monday, Mar. 4 with two counts of aggravated arson, burglary, and two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. The charges come from two fires in Plumsted and Jackson townships on Friday, Mar. 1. First responders were called to what was described as a "shed fire" near Maple Avenue and Brown Road in Plumsted at around 1:20 p.m. The structure was actually a bus stop …
Serial Arsonist Accused Of Setting 3 Fires Arrested In Gloucester County: Prosecutor Serial Arsonist Accused Of Setting 3 Fires Arrested In Gloucester County: Prosecutor
Serial Arsonist Accused Of Setting 3 Fires Arrested In Gloucester County: Prosecutor A 19-year-old man from Gloucester County has been arrested in connection with three arson fires, authorities said. Michael M. Lopez-Medina of Woodbury was arrested on Sunday, Feb. 11, by the Woodbury City Police Department and Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. Lopez-Medina was linked to a car fire on Salem Avenue on Feb. 1, a shed fire at Carriage House Apartments on Feb. 3 and a fire at a former school used by the Sketch Players Club on Glover Street on Feb. 7. Lopez-Medina has been charged with three counts of aggravated arson and one count of aggravated assault for a fire…
Blazing Out-Of-State Trespasser Ignites Trailer Fire Near Meadowlands: Carlstadt PD Blazing Out-Of-State Trespasser Ignites Trailer Fire Near Meadowlands: Carlstadt PD
Blazing Out-Of-State Trespasser Ignites Trailer Fire Near Meadowlands: Carlstadt PD An out-of-state man ignited a fire while smoking pot in a trailer off Route 120 in Carlstadt, authorities said. Detective Sgt. Mark Wong was headed north on the highway when he saw smoke coming from the roof of the trailer on the Home Improvement Team property less than a mile north of the Meadowlands shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 22. The sergeant also saw a man tipping away wearing a backpack and holding some belongings in his hands, Police Chief Thomas Cox said. Officer Matthew Bartlett assisted Wong in detaining Joe Jacob Perez of Lowell, Massachusetts, while firefighters doused t…
2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say 2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say
2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say Life imitated art when a reputed Gambino crime family captain threatened to burn down a Jersey Shore restaurant, then went to a service station across the street and tried to buy and fill a plastic gas can, federal authorities said. In what could’ve been a scene from any number of modern-day mob movies, Joseph Lanni of Staten Island became a walking cliché, the Justice Department said in announcing an organized-crime takedown that stretched all the way to Sicily. Lanni and fellow Staten Islander Vincent “Vinny Slick” Minsquero “became belligerent” after being asked to leave Roxy’s Bar and G…
PA Man Charged With Torching NJ Home For Insurance Money PA Man Charged With Torching NJ Home For Insurance Money
PA Man Charged With Torching NJ Home For Insurance Money A Pennsylvania man already awaiting trial in connection with other incidents was charged with setting fire to a former home in Cherry Hill to collect on the insurance. Richard Orlandini, 62, of Wilkes Barre, collected at least $75,000 from Allstate by "recklessly placing others in danger of death or bodily injury,"  New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Firefighters reported finding the two-story single-family home on Chapel Avenue West well-involved shortly before 1:30 a.m. Oct. 20, 2018. No injuries were reported and the house had to be demolished. Orlandini deli…
NYC Man Sentenced To Life In Love-Triangle Murder Of Popular NJ Software Engineer NYC Man Sentenced To Life In Love-Triangle Murder Of Popular NJ Software Engineer
NYC Man Sentenced To Life In Love-Triangle Murder Of Popular NJ Software Engineer For more than 12 years since popular software engineer Robert Cantor was brutally murdered in his Teaneck home, his twice-convicted killer has neither admitted it nor expressed any remorse. Sui Kam “Tony” Tung, 60, now has whatever’s left of his life to spend with whatever feelings he has following his sentencing Friday in Hackensack. This past July, jurors in that same courtroom convicted Tung of murdering Cantor, with whom his wife had been having an affair, in March of 2011. Superior Court Judge Christopher Kazlau said he’d seen enough of Tung to not be surprised by his refusal to spea…
Photo Captures Arson Suspect Pouring Gasoline On SUV In South Jersey: Police Photo Captures Arson Suspect Pouring Gasoline On SUV In South Jersey: Police
Photo Captures Arson Suspect Pouring Gasoline On SUV In South Jersey: Police Authorities have released a photo of an arson suspect pouring gasoline on an SUV. Detectives from the Haddonfield Police Department and Camden County Prosecutor’s Office are investigating the arson incident on Concord Circle that occurred early Saturday morning, Oct. 21. "We are releasing the suspect's picture," police said. if you have any information, please call the non-emergency number, 856-429-3000, and ask for Det. Sgt. Ortiz. No additional information will be released at this time because this is an active investigation.
Fair Lawn Native Critically Burned Fighting Baltimore Fire Succumbs To His Injuries Fair Lawn Native Critically Burned Fighting Baltimore Fire Succumbs To His Injuries
Fair Lawn Native Critically Burned Fighting Baltimore Fire Succumbs To His Injuries A Fair Lawn native who was critically injured trying to rescue a brother firefighter in a blaze in Baltimore has tragically made the ultimate sacrifice. Fire Lt. Dillion Rinaldo succumbed to his injuries Tuesday night, Oct. 24, five days after a rowhouse blaze claimed the life of a fellow smoke eater whom he and his colleagues had gone back in to save. "To the Rinaldo family, we are at a loss for words," the Fair Lawn Fire Department wrote in a social media post. "Your son Dillon will never be forgotten," the post reads. "He had the biggest heart and would literally help anyone in need. Al…
Killer Sentenced To Life For Shooting Rapper, Then Dumping Burned Body In Paramus Killer Sentenced To Life For Shooting Rapper, Then Dumping Burned Body In Paramus
Killer Sentenced To Life For Shooting Rapper, Then Dumping Burned Body In Paramus UPDATE: An ex-con convicted a second time of shooting an aspiring rapper in a vacant home in Englewood, then burning the body and dumping it on a quiet Paramus cul-de-sac was sentenced to life in prison, authorities said. "There is nothing more cowardly than shooting someone in the back," Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Gary Donatello said before Randy Manning was sentenced in Superior Court in Hackensack for killing Rhian “Kampane” Stoute in 2011. Manning was originally convicted for the same crime and sent to state prison for life in 2014, but he got the conviction overturned in 2020 …
Arsonist Left Trail Of Blood After Breaking Into Dad's Toms River Home: Prosecutor Arsonist Left Trail Of Blood After Breaking Into Dad's Toms River Home: Prosecutor
Arsonist Left Trail Of Blood After Breaking Into Dad's Toms River Home: Prosecutor A 45-year-old Ocean County man has been charged with breaking into his father's house, stealing a laptop and setting a fire inside the home, authorities said. John Voltolino, Jr., of Toms River, was charged with aggravated arson, burglary, theft, and criminal mischief, in connection with the incidents that occurred on Monday, Sept. 4, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Officers from the Toms River Township Police Department responded to a residence on Sun Valley Road for a report of a burglary. The homeowner reported that his son broke into the re…
Man Arrested In South Jersey Arson Fire: Police Man Arrested In South Jersey Arson Fire: Police
Man Arrested In South Jersey Arson Fire: Police A 30-year-old man from Ocean County has been arrested in connection with setting a house fire in Burlington County, authorities said. Charges are pending in a second suspicious house fire, they said. Colin J. DeLuca, 30, of Little Egg Harbor was charged on Wednesday, Aug. 23 with aggravated arson, Evesham police said. On Sunday, Aug. 20, patrol officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Aspen Court for the report of a residential fire. Police and Evesham Fire Personnel arrived and found that the dwelling was fully engulfed in fire. The Evesham Fire Department extinguished the f…
Bizarre NJ Love Triangle: NYC Man Again Convicted Of Murdering Estranged Wife's Lover Bizarre NJ Love Triangle: NYC Man Again Convicted Of Murdering Estranged Wife's Lover
Bizarre NJ Love Triangle: NYC Man Again Convicted Of Murdering Estranged Wife's Lover Jurors in Hackensack convicted a Manhattan man for a second time of brutally murdering a popular software engineer in his Teaneck home. Sui Kam "Tony" Tung was found guilty of all counts in the horrific killing of Robert Cantor, who authorities said was his estranged wife's lover, over a decade ago. Superior Court Judge Christopher Kazlau scheduled sentencing for Sept. 8. Tung faces a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of life, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Tung was found guilty of the same crimes in 2016, but a state appeals court overturned the convictions and sent the case…
High School Sweethearts' Dream Home Destroyed In NJ Arsonist's Violent Rampage High School Sweethearts' Dream Home Destroyed In NJ Arsonist's Violent Rampage
High School Sweethearts' Dream Home Destroyed In NJ Arsonist's Violent Rampage A family who lost their dream home to an arsonist's violent rampage through a Central Jersey neighborhood last month is hoping to rebuild. Angel and Brenda Rivas, who are high school sweethearts and share two daughters together, spent their life savings on a lot in Manchester Township's Pine Lake Park in October 2017. They broke ground in October 2022 and were planning on moving in come Fall 2023, according to a GoFundMe page for the family. Fate cared little for their future, though, as on June 7, 2023, the family fell victim to a hate crime at the hands of Ron Carr, prosecutors in Ocean…
Arsonist Targeted Jewish Residents In Fiery Anti-Semitic Rampage Across Jersey Shore Town: AG Arsonist Targeted Jewish Residents In Fiery Anti-Semitic Rampage Across Jersey Shore Town: AG
Arsonist Targeted Jewish Residents In Fiery Anti-Semitic Rampage Across Jersey Shore Town: AG A 34-year-old Jersey Shore man accused of spray-painting swastikas on several structures and causing a fire that gutted a house earlier this week was being held in a medical facility, authorities said. Ron Carr, 34, of Manchester, scrawled Nazi symbolism on more than a dozen homes, residential fences and elsewhere, targeting Jewish residents in the early hours of Wednesday, June 7, according to Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Carr damaged more than a dozen homes, and used an accelerant to set a fire that destroyed a house in the township…
MURDER: Englewood Man Convicted Again Of Shooting, Burning Rapper, Dumping Body In Paramus MURDER: Englewood Man Convicted Again Of Shooting, Burning Rapper, Dumping Body In Paramus
Murder: Englewood Man Convicted Again Of Shooting, Burning Rapper, Dumping Body In Paramus An Englewood man faces 30 years to life in prison after jurors in Hackensack convicted him of murder for a second time for shooting an aspiring rapper and then setting his body on fire. Randy Manning was originally found guilty and sentenced to life in 2014 for killing Rhian “Kampane” Stoute in Englewood three years earlier. Manning got the state Supreme Court to support a lower court ruling overturning the conviction and granting him a new trial in 2020. The verdicts this time were pretty much the same: Jurors found Manning guilty of murder, desecration and unlawful moving of human remai…
Woman Charged With Setting Fire In Pizzeria Dumpster In Atlantic City: Police Woman Charged With Setting Fire In Pizzeria Dumpster In Atlantic City: Police
Woman Charged With Setting Fire In Pizzeria Dumpster In Atlantic City: Police A 42-year-old woman has been charged in connection with setting a fire next to a pizzeria in Atlantic City, authorities said. Dawn Davidson-Gonzalez, of Atlantic City, was charged with arson, according to Atlantic City police. On May 29, at 4:03 a.m., patrol officers and the Atlantic City Fire Department responded to the rear of Jersey Shore Pizza and Grille in the 2600 block of the Boardwalk in reference to a dumpster fire, police said. Firefighters were able to quickly control and extinguish the fully engulfed dumpster that was directly next to the building, they said. The building susta…
Man, 23, Sentenced For Setting Fatal Fire In South Jersey Man, 23, Sentenced For Setting Fatal Fire In South Jersey
Man, 23, Sentenced For Setting Fatal Fire In South Jersey A 23-year-old Burlington Township man was sentenced to 22 years in New Jersey State Prison for starting a fire that killed a man, authorities said. Newlin Evans IV, who was sentenced on Monday, June 5,  pleaded guilty in January to aggravated manslaughter for setting the fatal fire, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw. The blaze killed 22-year-old Camryn Powell, she said.  The investigation began after emergency officials were dispatched to a fire at the Tara Hall Apartment Complex in the first block of Egbert Street in Pemberton Township on April 20…
Eatery Reopens After Ex-NJ Engineer Broke Gas Lines Eatery Reopens After Ex-NJ Engineer Broke Gas Lines
Eatery Reopens After Ex-NJ Engineer Broke Gas Lines Stuff'D Steaks has reopened following a bizarre break-in that left the business without gas and a flooded, and damaged building. Stuff'D Steaks after the burglary Collin Matthew Potter admitted to committing.Facebook/Collin Potter (overlay); Stuff'D Steaks The police arrested 21-year-old Collin Matthew Potter after he caused "significant damage" inside and outside of Stuff'D Steaks at 2828 Horseshoe Pike on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, according to the police release and the eatery's Facebook page.  Posted by Stuff'D Steaks on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 An alarm at 6:15 a.m. alerted the S…
Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA
Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA UPDATE: An ex-con who kidnapped and raped his ex-girlfriend in Pennsylvania, then torched a used car dealership in Paterson and rammed a stolen SUV into police cars at both ends of the George Washington Bridge was sentenced to 43 years in federal prison. Luis Figueroa, 42, first took a plea deal from the government that called for him to serve 26 years in a federal penitentiary. Then he abruptly withdrew his plea, took his chances with a trial – and lost. Federal jurors in Newark convicted Figueroa in May 2022 of kidnapping, criminal sexual abuse, illegal gun possession and assaulting…
Ex-NJ Engineer Makes Bizarre Facebook Post After Breaking Gas Lines At Eatery Ex-NJ Engineer Makes Bizarre Facebook Post After Breaking Gas Lines At Eatery
Ex-NJ Engineer Makes Bizarre Facebook Post After Breaking Gas Lines At Eatery A 21-year-old man has been arrested after breaking into a Philly cheesesteak eatery and pouring "potentially flammable liquids on the floor,"  "intentionally" breaking a natural gas line inside, and attempting arson, he admitted to officers according to police releases.  Collin Matthew Potter caused "significant damage" inside and outside of Stuff'D Steaks at 2828 Horseshoe Pike on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, according the police release and the eatery's Facebook page.  Posted by Stuff'D Steaks on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 An alarm at 6:15 a.m. alerted the South Londonderry Township police…
Disgruntled Employee Admits Torching Jersey Shore Business After Being Fired: Police Disgruntled Employee Admits Torching Jersey Shore Business After Being Fired: Police
Disgruntled Employee Admits Torching Jersey Shore Business After Being Fired: Police A 26-year-old Toms River man admitted to setting a Lakewood business on fire after being terminated, authorities aid. Jorge Euxaque-Ballesteros pleaded guilty on Friday, March 31, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. On Jan. 19, 2022, at approximately 2 a.m., Lakewood Township police and firefighters were dispatched to a business on Cross Street in reference to a sprinkler system alarm. Firefighters were able to extinguish a fire in the basement of the business.  Investigators determined that the cause of the fire was incendiary by an unknown …
Man Eyed In Double Homicide Found Dead Man Eyed In Double Homicide Found Dead
Man Eyed In Double Homicide Found Dead Detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a man and a woman in Gloucester City, authorities said.  A "person of interest" in the fatal shooting, charged with arson, also is now dead of unspecified causes, according to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and Gloucester City Police Chief Brian Morrell. On Monday, March 27, at 6:31 p.m., the Gloucester City Police Department and the Gloucester City Fire Department responded to a motel at 1200 Route 130 in Gloucester City for a fire alarm.  Police fouind a dead man and dead woman in a motel ro…
Homeowner Charged With Arson, Aggravated Assault In Destructive NJ Lake Fire Homeowner Charged With Arson, Aggravated Assault In Destructive NJ Lake Fire
Homeowner Charged With Arson, Aggravated Assault In Destructive NJ Lake Fire UPDATE: A West Milford man was charged with conducting an illegal backyard burn that ignited a rapidly-spreading weekend blaze that sent two firefighters to the hospital while destroying one home and damaging two others on a hill overlooking Greenwood Lake. Keith Scherer, 45, of Hewitt, was burning wood and debris in a fire pit behind his Lakeside Road home when the brush caught fire and flames spread up the hill in the Hewitt section of West Milford, a little over a half-mile from the New York State border, shortly before 12:30 p.m., March 18, responders had told Daily Voice. Scherer was …
Teens Sentenced In Arson Fire Along Garden State Parkway: Prosecutor Teens Sentenced In Arson Fire Along Garden State Parkway: Prosecutor
Teens Sentenced In Arson Fire Along Garden State Parkway: Prosecutor Two juveniles from Brick Township have been sentenced in connection with an arson fire along the Garden State Parkway, authorities said. Both I.J. and A.R. were sentenced to 60 days in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center as a condition of three years probation. They've already served the detention center time, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. Additionally, the Court ordered $15,000 in restitution to be split evenly between the juveniles. Finally, both juveniles were ordered to complete 50 hours of community service and attend and complete a firesetter’s education pr…
'White Lives Matter Too': Man Charged With Smoke Bombing, Pepper Spraying Asbury Church Event 'White Lives Matter Too': Man Charged With Smoke Bombing, Pepper Spraying Asbury Church Event
'White Lives Matter Too': Man Charged With Smoke Bombing, Pepper Spraying Asbury Church Event An Ocean County man was charged with throwing smoke bombs and trying to pepper-spray attendees of an anti-racism concert at an Asbury Park church while shouting "White lives matter, too," authorities announced. Nicholas G. Mucci, 28, of Toms River was wearing a black face covering on Jan. 28 as he blocked attendees from leaving a concert organized by a social justice organization known as the One People's Project at the Trinity Episcopal Parish on Asbury Avenue, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. “White lives matter, too,” he shouted while tossing two smoke bombs toward the cro…
UPDATE: Admitted Hit Man From Philly Gets 20 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico UPDATE: Admitted Hit Man From Philly Gets 20 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico
Update: Admitted Hit Man From Philly Gets 20 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico A currently incarcerated career criminal from Philadelphia was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the contract killing of a veteran campaign consultant in New Jersey. Bomani Africa, 62, previously admitted accepting payment from former political operative Sean Caddle to whack former associate Michael Galdieri. Galdieri, the 52-year-old son of former State Sen. James Galdieri (D-Jersey City), was stabbed to death in his Jersey City apartment, which was then set on fire, in May 2014. The killing had publicly remained a cold case until January 2022, when Caddle pleaded guilty in U.S…
Man, 23, Admits Setting Fatal Fire In Burlington County, Faces 22 Years In Prison: Prosecutor Man, 23, Admits Setting Fatal Fire In Burlington County, Faces 22 Years In Prison: Prosecutor
Man, 23, Admits Setting Fatal Fire In Burlington County, Faces 22 Years In Prison: Prosecutor A 23-year-old Burlington Township man has admitted to starting a fire at a Pemberton Borough apartment that killed a 22-year-old resident. Under an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office, Newlin Evans IV entered a guilty plea in Superior Court in Mount Holly to aggravated manslaughter in exchange for a 22-year sentence in state prison, of which 85 percent must be served before he becomes eligible for parole. Sentencing is on March 24. The investigation began after emergency officials were dispatched to a fire at the Tara Hall Apartment Complex in the first block of Egbert Street during the …