An arrest has been made stemming from an investigation into a string of arsons taking place on adjacent residential properties in Hazlet over the last five months, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago and Hazlet Police Chief Robert Mulligan jointly announced on Monday.
Albert Caporaso, 49, of Hazlet, has been charged with seven counts of second-degree aggravated arson and single counts of third-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree resisting arrest.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, Hazlet police and local firefighters responded to a pair of structure fires affecting abandoned homes on South Laurel Avenue. It was the first of six such callouts to the same addresses in all, with subsequent fires reported a week later, on Saturday, Dec. 9, and on various dates in each of the next four months.
An investigation by members of the Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Hazlet Police Department resulted in Caporaso being identified as a suspect in the case.
On the night of Thursday, April 25, while conducting surveillance in the area, Hazlet police spotted Caporaso attempting to set fire to a storage shed on one of the properties and he was arrested.
He was then held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) to await an initial appearance in Monmouth County Superior Court, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 1.
Anyone with additional information about Caporaso’s activities is urged to contact MCPO Detective Michael Donovan III at 800-533-7443 or Hazlet Police Department Detective Russell Surdi at 732-264-0763.
— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office
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