Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Hanover Township Police Chief Mark Roddy announce the arrest of Ms. Nina Sheller, 51, of Hanover, on charges related to a fire that occurred on October 11th in Hanover.
Police alleged that on October 11th fire officials and law enforcement responded to a report of a residential structure fire on Harvest Court in Hanover.
Upon arrival, they encountered a fire in the garage area of the residence. Present at the scene were Nina Sheller and her husband.
Police say an on-scene investigation revealed that the fire had originated in the passenger compartment of a vehicle that was parked inside the garage.
In addition to the vehicle and Sheller’s residence, several other attached units in the same building sustained various levels of damage from the fire. Sheller made statements at the scene taking responsibility for the fire.
Sheller’s husband sustained non-life threatening injuries during the incident.
Sheller has been charged with two (2) counts of Arson, a crime of the third degree in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:17-1(b), and one count of Criminal Mischief, a crime of the third degree in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:17-3(a).
The defendant was charged by way of a warrant-complaint, and was released on pretrial monitoring conditions in accordance with the Criminal Justice Reform Act.
The investigation was conducted by the Hanover Township Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson and Environmental Crimes Unit.
The charges and allegations are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office – Arson and Environmental Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200 or the Hanover Township Police Department at 973-428-2512.