By: Najla Alexander
Image Credit: Jersey Shore Online
Authorities in Ocean County announced that on December 10, John Bruno, 48, of Berkeley Township, was charged with Aggravated Arson in connection with an incident that occurred in Berkeley Township on December 10.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated that on December 10, at approximately 7:20 a.m., the Berkeley Township Police and Fire Departments responded to a residence on Pheasant Drive for a reported small brush fire.
Upon arrival, emergency personnel observed a mulch bed smoldering in front of the residence, and that the fire had already been extinguished by the Fire Department.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that the origin of the fire was in the mulch bed on the south side of the residence, and that the cause of the fire was incendiary by an unknown person utilizing an open flame to an ignitable liquid.
Continuing investigation led to Bruno being identified as the individual responsible for setting the fire.
Bruno was taken into custody at Berkeley Township Police Headquarters and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.