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Robert Pinero, 34, of North Bergen was arrested Friday and charged with aggravated arson and conspiracy, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Hawthorne Police Chief Richard McAuliffe said in a joint release.
Pinero and another man entered the strip mall store on Wagaraw Road just before 1 a.m. Aug. 18, minutes before the fire call came in, Valdes and McAuliffe said.
Investigators found “number points of origin, as well as what appeared to be an incendiary device,” they said.
Pinero remained held in the Passaic County Jail pending a detention hearing Saturday morning in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson.
Meanwhile, an investigation was continuing.
Anyone with information that could help investigators in the case is asked to contact the prosecutor’s tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or the Hawthorne Police Detective Bureau: (973) 427-1800.
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