Prosecutor: 24-Year-Old Arrested on Explosives Possession Charges

A 24-year-old area man has been arrested on charges in connection with his alleged igniting of molotov cocktail explosive devices in a business parking lot, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Friday.

Brendan J. Dunne, of Holmdel, was charged with four counts of third-degree possession of a destructive device, as well as the petty disorderly persons offense of disorderly conduct.

If convicted, he could face up to five years in jail on each count of the third-degree crime.

The case background …

On July 19 at about 10:10 p.m., Hazlet Township police responded to a report of a fire in the parking lot of the Route 35 Costco and Cinemark movie theater complex.

After extinguishing the fire, the responding officer detected the source of the fire to be what appeared as a homemade Molotov cocktail: a glass bottle containing charred pieces of cardboard.

Subsequent investigation by the Hazlet Police Department revealed similar fires being ignited at the same location on July 21and two on July 22.

With the assistance of officers from the Holmdel Township Police Department and detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Dunne was identified and arrested.

The FBI, the local police departments and Prosecutor’s Office collaborated on the investigation leading to the arrest.

“Whenever crimes like this occur, there is an urgent need to catch those who are responsible. We are happy that we were able to work with our local, county, state and federal law enforcement partners to bring this case to a quick conclusion.”
Hazlet Township Police Chief Ted Wittke

Dunne remains incarcerated in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending a detention hearing scheduled for this week.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office