A Morris County grand jury recently indicted a Budd Lake NJ man on arson charges.
The 34-year-old suspect was charged with two counts of aggravated arson. He is accused of deliberately starting a fire in his apartment at the Eagle Rock Village in Budd Lake, New Jersey. Budd Lake is an unincorporated community in Mount Olive, NJ.
According to prosecutors, the suspect used propane tanks and vented gas into his apartment while burning a candle.
When firefighters got to the scene, they extinguished the flames. Thankfully, no one in the other complex’s apartments was injured as a result of the fire.
Investigators later discovered a glass candle underneath a chair in the suspect’s apartment. The chair had reportedly been covered with clothing. Additionally, investigators reportedly found a number of propane tanks that were set to vent gas into the apartment.
Once it was determined that the suspect might have started the fire, police located him in New York and placed him under arrest.
In addition to the arson charges, the suspect was also indicted on charges of hindering apprehension. The indictment states that the suspect “purposely or knowingly” started the fire and placed other people at risk of “death or bodily injury.”
The suspect reportedly has a prior criminal record. Sussex County prosecutors said that he pleaded guilty in 2014 to separate criminal charges for theft of movable property, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and criminal contempt.
For additional information about this case, check out the NJ.com article entitled “Budd Lake Man Indicted for Allegedly Setting His Apartment on Fire.”