New Jersey man charged with causing $1-million in damages for setting cars on fire
A Toms River man who was employed at a business in Point Pleasant Borough has been arrested for setting fire to a series of commercial vehicles belonging to a business in Wall Township.
Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced that 69-year old Harcourt “Paul” S. Ward of Toms River is being charged with four counts of second-degree Arson for setting a fire that ended up deeming six vehicles no longer usable and caused more than $1-million in estimated valued damage.
His inferno took place on the evening of Monday September 26 with Wall Township Police getting a call around 10:11 pm about the fire at the business along the 1900 block of Atlantic Avenue.
Wall Police were joined at the scene by the Monmouth County Fire Marshal's Office and they collectively found six vehicles on fire.
The ensuing investigation led to the identification of Ward who law enforcement learned worked at Ward Realty and Insurance of Point Pleasant, according to Acting Prosecutor Santiago.
If you have any information that can help in this investigation, you're asked to call Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Joshua Rios at 800-533-7443 or Wall Township Police Detective Zach Honecker at 732-449-4500.
Acting Prosecutor Santiago said that this case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Caitlin J. Sidley, of the Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau.
Elsewhere in Monmouth County, two Virginia residents were arrested near where they live in VA and are awaiting extradition back to New Jersey for a detention hearing after being charged with plotting out a home invasion and robbery at a Marlboro Township residence, which they fled from after not succeeding.
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