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Devin Markowitz, 51, was identified through surveillance footage and DNA testing when he inserted a fuse into the gas tank of a pickup truck and attached a cigarette to the end at the Lake Shore Village Clubhouse in Mount Arlington just before 8:30 p.m. on April 13, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said in a Friday release.
Markowitz ran from the scene about five minutes later, and the fuse failed to ignite because the cigarette had burned out prior to any ignition, Carroll said.
A follow-up investigation found that Markowitz, of Mount Arlington, was previously married to the truck owner’s girlfriend, authorities said.
Markowitz was charged with second-degree attempted aggravated arson, second-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose (a destructive device), and third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (a destructive device), authorities said.
He was previously charged May 5 in the same investigation with two counts of second-degree certain persons not to have weapons when he was found with two guns he was not legally permitted to own, authorities said.
Markowitz was remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a future court appearance.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson and Environmental Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200.
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