OCEAN COUNTY — A Berkeley Township man has been charged with aggravated arson after investigators determined a small fire outside a township home was intentionally set, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Authorities said first responders were called to a Pheasant Drive residence around 7:20 a.m. on December 10 for a report of a brush fire.
Firefighters arrived to find a smoldering mulch bed near the front of the home and quickly extinguished what remained of the blaze.
A joint investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit–Arson Squad, Berkeley Township detectives, the Ocean County Fire Marshal, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit concluded the fire originated in the mulch bed on the south side of the house. Investigators ruled the cause to be incendiary, noting an open flame had been applied to an ignitable liquid.
Detectives later identified 48-year-old John Bruno as the suspect. Bruno was arrested at Berkeley Township Police Headquarters and taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he is being held pending a detention hearing.
Billhimer credited the cooperating agencies for their “thorough and coordinated effort” in the case.
All charges are accusations. Bruno is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
