LAKEWOOD – A township man has been charged with setting fire to a home on Delaware Trail, authorities said.
Yaakov Stern, 48, was charged September 3 with aggravated arson in connection with the August 25 blaze, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
Police officers and firefighters responded to the property at approximately 9:30 p.m. and discovered a structure engulfed in flames. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze.
An investigation conducted by the Lakewood Township Police Department’s Detective Bureau identified Stern as the person suspected of starting the fire, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Lakewood detectives arrested Stern on September 3. He was taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he remained pending a detention hearing.
The investigation also involved the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
The charge is an accusation, and Stern is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
