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Aggravated Arson

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Search For Suicidal Arsonist, 40, With Roommate's Gun Ends In Arrest, Wayne Police Say Search For Suicidal Arsonist, 40, With Roommate's Gun Ends In Arrest, Wayne Police Say
Search For Suicidal Arsonist, 40, With Roommate's Gun Ends In Arrest, Wayne Police Say The search for a 40-year-old man who set fire to a neighbor's home after leaving behind a suicide note ended in his arrest over the weekend in Wayne, police said. Hector Lobo has been charged on a warrant with aggravated arson, unlawful possession of a weapon, theft, and criminal mischief early Saturday, July 6, Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff said. Police were called to reports of flames coming from the back of a Totowa Road home around 1 a.m., where Officer Adrian Valentin knocked on the door of the home and made contact with the homeowner. Valentin evacuated the home, found a fire e…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother
Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother 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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Veteran Responder Charged With Torching Service Vans At Bergen Optimum Store Veteran Responder Charged With Torching Service Vans At Bergen Optimum Store
Veteran Responder Charged With Torching Service Vans At Bergen Optimum Store A veteran firefighter from Passaic County torched two Optimum service vans behind the company’s Oakland store, said authorities who arrested him on Thursday. Randy S. McMaster Jr., 42, of Bloomingdale, intentionally set the fires that were reported behind the Potash Road store at 3:15 p.m. Oct. 19, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The blazes were quickly suppressed, leaving both service vehicles with fire and smoke damage, before emergency responders arrived, the prosecutor said following McMasters's arrest on Nov. 16. A father of two, McMaster lives in the Waterfall Village off…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Fire That Destroyed, Damaged Vehicles On Route 46 Lot Deliberately Set By PA Man: Prosecutor Fire That Destroyed, Damaged Vehicles On Route 46 Lot Deliberately Set By PA Man: Prosecutor
Fire That Destroyed, Damaged Vehicles On Route 46 Lot Deliberately Set By PA Man: Prosecutor UPDATE: A pre-dawn fire that destroyed some vehicles and damaged others at a used car dealership on Route 46 in Lodi last month was intentionally set by a Pennsylvania man, authorities said. Jonathan Czyzewski, 37, of Levittown, PA remained held in the Bucks County Correctional Facility in Doylestown pending extradition to Bergen County. Czyzewski set fire to a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck at MFT Auction off Money Street at 4:40 a.m. July 30, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Flames engulfed the pickup and quickly spread to other vehicles on the lot, the prosecutor said. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Attempted Murder, Arson Charges For Hunterdon County Tenant Who Started Blaze At Occupied Home Attempted Murder, Arson Charges For Hunterdon County Tenant Who Started Blaze At Occupied Home
Attempted Murder, Arson Charges For Hunterdon County Tenant Who Started Blaze At Occupied Home A Hunterdon County woman was charged with attempted murder and arson in connection with a May garage fire she allegedly started at an occupied residence at which she was a tenant. Onika G. Johnson, 44, of Ringoes, was charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated arson, and criminal mischief on Wednesday, August 9, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson announced alongside local officials. Johnson was living at 8 Whitehall Way in Ringoes when she intentionally started a fire in the garage while the residence was occupied by “several family members and tenants" o…

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by Valerie Musson
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Driver Torches Sedan For Insurance Money After Hitching Ride For Gas From PIP PD: Prosecutor Driver Torches Sedan For Insurance Money After Hitching Ride For Gas From PIP PD: Prosecutor
Driver Torches Sedan For Insurance Money After Hitching Ride For Gas From PIP PD: Prosecutor A driver torched his sedan on the Palisades Interstate Parkway after first getting a ride from a police officer when he ran out of gas, authorities said. Tramaine Hayward, 46, of New Rochelle, NY, caught a lift from a well-meaning Palisades Interstate Parkway Police officer who found him and his disabled 2010 Nissan Altima stranded on the shoulder of the highway in Englewood Cliffs shortly before 10 p.m. Feb. 8. Two and a half hours later, PIP police responded to a 12:30 a.m. vehicle fire in that same spot, a complaint on file in Superior Court in Hackensack says. “The fully engulfed vehic…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Little Ferry Laborer Torched Truck For Insurance Money, Authorities Charge Little Ferry Laborer Torched Truck For Insurance Money, Authorities Charge
Little Ferry Laborer Torched Truck For Insurance Money, Authorities Charge A laborer from Little Ferry was charged with torching his pickup truck outside his own home for the insurance money. Louis M. Molino, 40, was arrested soon after firefighters responding to a quiet Couchon Drive neighborhood near Route 46 found the 2008 Nissan Frontier ablaze around 11:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Little Ferry police and members of Musella’s Major Crimes Unit, assisted by the Bergen County Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification, collected enough evidence to charge Molina with aggravated arson, arson and risking widespread injury o…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Morris County Man Learns His Fate For Killing Mom, Burning Down Home Morris County Man Learns His Fate For Killing Mom, Burning Down Home
Morris County Man Learns His Fate For Killing Mom, Burning Down Home A 43-year-old Morris County man who killed his mother and burned down their shared home has been sentenced to 17 years in New Jersey State Prison, authorities announced Thursday. Anthony Citro was found with blood on his clothes as police responded to a fire at his home at 37 Chestnut Hill Dr. E. in Denville just before 7:25 a.m. on Monday, May 17, 2021, DailyVoice previously reported. The remains of Citro’s 68-year-old mother, Eileen, were found by crews dousing the blaze. Her manner of death was determined to be sharp force injuries.  Citro was initially charged on a warrant-complai…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Woman Catches Fire After NJ Pair Tosses Fireworks From Jeep: Prosecutor Woman Catches Fire After NJ Pair Tosses Fireworks From Jeep: Prosecutor
Woman Catches Fire After NJ Pair Tosses Fireworks From Jeep: Prosecutor A pair of New Jersey men have been charged with arson after tossing fireworks that set a woman on fire, authorities said. Justin Liebhauser, 19, of Randolph, and Gianni Aveta, 18, of Wayne, were charged with aggravated arson in the incident that occurred in Beach Haven. On July 22, a 53-year-old woman entered the Beach Haven Police Department to report that at approximately 10:15 p.m., she had been struck by a firework explosive that was thrown from a motor vehicle.  She told police that she was walking on Pennsylvania Avenue when a firework was thrown from the&nbs…

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by Jon Craig
News
Young Firebug Charged With Arson At Two Bergen Schools Young Firebug Charged With Arson At Two Bergen Schools
Young Firebug Charged With Arson At Two Bergen Schools A middle school student set arson fires three weeks apart in River Edge and Oradell, authorities charged. The first began in a garbage receptacle at the Roosevelt Elementary School on Summit Avenue in River Edge shortly after 9:30 p.m. on June 20 and was out by the time firefighters arrived, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Friday. The second was much more damaging. It caused fire and heavy smoke damage after it was ignited in several spots in the field house at River Dell High School in Oradell just after 5:30 p.m. July 11, the prosecutor said. Members of Musella’s arson unit i…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Jersey Shore Man Set Dozens Of Fires In 4 Towns: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Man Set Dozens Of Fires In 4 Towns: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Man Set Dozens Of Fires In 4 Towns: Prosecutor A 32-year-old man from Ocean County has been indicted in connection with setting dozens of fires in four townships, authorities said. ALSO SEE: 'Red Flag' Warning Issued For NJ As Risk Of Serious Fires Rises Dramatically Gregory Fullman, Jr., of Manchester Township, was indicted by a Grand Jury on 28 counts of aggravated arson, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. The charges are in connection with multiple fires that occurred in the Townships of Little Egg Harbor, Manchester, Lakewood, and Wall — between May 2021 and January 2022, he sai…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
IT'S OVER: Fugitive Sought For Setting HUMC Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide IT'S OVER: Fugitive Sought For Setting HUMC Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide
IT'S Over: Fugitive Sought For Setting Humc Co-Worker On Fire Found Dead Of Suicide UPDATE: A contract nurse who fled after authorities said he set a 54-year-old colleague at Hackensack University Medical Center on fire was found dead of his own hand in South Jersey, authorities said. The body of Nicholas Pagano, 31, of West Deptford was found in a wooded area of Waterford Township, in Camden County, a two-hour drive of more than 100 miles from Hackensack, early Tuesday, Feb. 8, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He'd shot himself once in the chest, apparently with a gun that had been stolen from his brother's home, law enforcement sources said. HUMC employees w…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Manhunt On For Traveling Nurse Following Attack On HUMC Patient Care Tech: Sources UPDATE: Manhunt On For Traveling Nurse Following Attack On HUMC Patient Care Tech: Sources
Update: Manhunt On For Traveling Nurse Following Attack On Humc Patient Care Tech: Sources UPDATE: A contract nurse who fled after authorities said he set a 54-year-old colleague at Hackensack University Medical Center on fire was found dead of suicide in South Jersey, authorities said. The body of Nicholas Pagano, 31, of West Deptford was found in a wooded area of Waterford Township, in Camden County, a two-hour drive of more than 100 miles from Hackensack, early Tuesday, Feb. 8, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He'd shot himself once in the chest, apparently with a gun that had been stolen from his brother's home, law enforcement sources said. HUMC employees were n…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Morristown Gunman Nabbed After Police Standoff That Locked Down Nearby Hospital: Prosecutor Morristown Gunman Nabbed After Police Standoff That Locked Down Nearby Hospital: Prosecutor
Morristown Gunman Nabbed After Police Standoff That Locked Down Nearby Hospital: Prosecutor A 29-year-old gunman was arrested after hitting a woman in front of a young child, prompting a precautionary lockdown of Morristown Medical Center Monday night, authorities announced. Chancelle Ibin Young was seen brandishing a firearm and torching a vehicle on Franklin Street late Monday night into the early morning hours Tuesday, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said alongside county officials. Morristown Medical Center incidentMorristown.nj Instagram The initial Morristown patrolmen were joined at the scene by officers from the prosecutors office, sheriff's office and other…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
SEEN HER? Indictment Charges Paterson Woman With Trying To Burn Down Ex-Lover's Apartment SEEN HER? Indictment Charges Paterson Woman With Trying To Burn Down Ex-Lover's Apartment
Seen HER? Indictment Charges Paterson Woman With Trying To Burn Down Ex-Lover's Apartment A Paterson woman who has remained a fugitive for several months since authorities accused her of trying to burn down a former lover’s apartment was indicted by a grand jury. Ahkearah Muhammad, 24, should be considered dangerous, authorities said, adding that she could be somewhere in New York. The fire broke out shortly after 10:30 p.m. March 20 in a large factory building that was converted into 240 units at the corner of Madison and Essex streets in Paterson. A surveillance camera caught images of Muhammad pouring lighter fluid outside her former beau’s door in a large city complex, auth…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Woman Admits Setting Paterson Apartment Couch Fire That Ended Up Destroying Half A City Block Woman Admits Setting Paterson Apartment Couch Fire That Ended Up Destroying Half A City Block
Woman Admits Setting Paterson Apartment Couch Fire That Ended Up Destroying Half A City Block A New York City woman admitted Friday that she deliberately set a massive fire that roared through a Paterson block, displacing 60 residents and injuring four firefighters, during an argument last summer. Yanit Valdez took a deal from prosecutors rather than face trial, pleading guilty in Superior Court in Paterson to aggravated arson in exchange for what will be a six-year prison sentence. Valdez, 38, of Manhattan will have to serve five years and a month of the term under New Jersey’s No Early Release law, followed by three years of parole supervision, Passaic County Camelia M. Valdes sa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Paterson Man Indicted For Setting Fire Outside Bank Paterson Man Indicted For Setting Fire Outside Bank
Paterson Man Indicted For Setting Fire Outside Bank UPDATE: A grand jury in Paterson has returned an indictment against a city man accused of setting a garbage can fire in the vestibule of a Main Street bank. Reshawn Evans, 27, has remained held in the Passaic County jail since his arrest on April 26 for the Bank of America branch fire earlier that day. The fire did not affect any adjoining structures, and there were no injuries, authorities said. Evans is charged with aggravated arson and risking widespread injury or damage in the indictment, which follows an investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Arson Unit and Paterson police a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Prosecutor: Hackensack Factory Worker Sets Fire At Neighbor’s House Prosecutor: Hackensack Factory Worker Sets Fire At Neighbor’s House
Prosecutor: Hackensack Factory Worker Sets Fire At Neighbor’s House A Hackensack factory worker was arrested after setting a fire at a boarding house next door to his home, authorities said. Brandon McGarrell, 22, remained in police custody Monday at New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus following Friday morning’s incident, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Responding officers found the remains of mail and other debris that had been set aflame at the front door of the Essex Street home shortly before 9:30 a.m. McGarrell targeted a resident who'd been involved in a domestic violence incident last week, responders said. He had difficulty breathing …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Clifton Man Indicted In Arson Fires Clifton Man Indicted In Arson Fires
Clifton Man Indicted In Arson Fires A grand jury in Paterson returned an indictment charging a Clifton man with a pair of overnight garbage can fires on the same block, one of which spread to an adjoining home. No one was injured, but a family was displaced by the fires set by Mario Palma-Sanchez, 26, at 148 and 122 Highland Avenue on March 30, 2020, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. Firefighters quickly doused the blaze and vented smoke from the home with fans. The Red Cross helped the displaced residents with food, shelter and clothing. Palma-Sanchez was arrested after surveillance images helped identify hi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
SEEN HER? Paterson Fugitive, 24, Wanted For Trying To Burn Down Ex's Apartment SEEN HER? Paterson Fugitive, 24, Wanted For Trying To Burn Down Ex's Apartment
Seen HER? Paterson Fugitive, 24, Wanted For Trying To Burn Down Ex's Apartment A Paterson woman has remained a fugitive since trying to burn down a former lover’s apartment, authorities said. The fire broke out shortly after 10:30 p.m. March 20 in a large factory building that was converted into 240 units at the corner of Madison and Essex streets in Paterson. A surveillance camera caught images of Ahkearah Muhammad, 24, video pouring lighter fluid outside her former beau’s door in a large city complex -- a bottle of which was later discovered at the scene, authorities said. Another resident quickly doused the blaze without anyone being injured, Passaic County Prose…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Roselle Man, 30, Indicted In Linden Arson Spree Roselle Man, 30, Indicted In Linden Arson Spree
Roselle Man, 30, Indicted In Linden Arson Spree A Union County grand jury returned a nine-count indictment against a Roselle man accused of setting a series of fires in Linden. Marcus D. Wise, 30, set fires to a Linden school, homes and dumpster last July 25, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. The first fire broke out at a business on the 800 block of North Wood Avenue around 10 p.m. A half-hour later, a fire was reported at a vacant home on the 900 block of Seymour Avenue Two more fires were reported after midnight -- one a brush fire on the 20 block of East Curtis Street and the other a dumpster fire on the 300 …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Teaneck PD: Barricaded Tenant With Knives Tasered After Starting Apartment Fire Teaneck PD: Barricaded Tenant With Knives Tasered After Starting Apartment Fire
Teaneck PD: Barricaded Tenant With Knives Tasered After Starting Apartment Fire An emotionally disturbed Teaneck man armed with several knives was tasered and taken into custody Monday night after he set fire to his apartment and then tried to run out of the building, authorities said. Police responding to a call of a man throwing objects and creating a disturbance found William Caraway in the foyer area of the Chestnut Avenue apartment building armed with several knives, Police Chief Glenn M. O’Reilly said. "Commands were given to put the weapons down, but Caraway refused and fled back into the building, where he barricaded himself in his apartment," O'Reilly sai…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Teaneck PD: Barricaded Tenant With Knives Tasered After Starting Apartment Fire Teaneck PD: Barricaded Tenant With Knives Tasered After Starting Apartment Fire
Teaneck PD: Barricaded Tenant With Knives Tasered After Starting Apartment Fire An emotionally disturbed Teaneck man armed with several knives was tasered and taken into custody Monday night after he set fire to his apartment and tried to run, authorities said. Police responding to a call of a man throwing objects and creating a disturbance found William Caraway in the foyer area of the Chestnut Avenue apartment building armed with several knives, Police Chief Glenn M. O’Reilly said. "Commands were given to put the weapons down, but Caraway refused and fled back into the building, where he barricaded himself in his apartment," O'Reilly said Tuesday. "Officers, wi…

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by Jerry DeMarco