MARLBORO — A fire on the upper level of a townshouse early Sunday morning started because a resident set a bed on fire during a domestic violence incident, after stabbing another person with three different items, according to police.

Suzanne Demo, 20, is charged with arson and several assault charges in connection with the fire on Roseberry Court in the  Morganville section of Marlboro around 3 a.m. The blaze also killed a pet cat and dog, according to Marlboro police spokesman Capt. Frederick Wreck.

The fire was contained to the townhouse's second floor, Wreck said.

According to a criminal complaint, Demo slashed the wrists and arms of another person in the master bedroom with box cutters, a pair of scissors and a knife before setting the bed on fire. EMS crews responding to the fire had to give emergency treatment to the person who was attacked in what is being considered an act of domestic violence, the complaint says.

Neither Wreck nor the criminal complaint identified the person who was stabbed, or provided that person's gender or age.

Wreck said all occupants of the home escaped the flames but he did not disclose how many other people may have been inside.

Demo is charged with one count aggravated arson, two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, two counts of possession of a weapon, one count of obstructing administration of law or other governmental function and two counts of animal cruelty. She is being held at the Monmouth County Jail pending her first court appearance.

 

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