NJ’s Bergen County Prosecutor’s office has reported that a series of fires set at two Ramsey shopping centers earlier this month were the work of an Orangeburg man. The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Nicholas Todaro, has been charged with aggravated arson and arson.
The first incident occurred just after 6:30 p.m. on January 5, when Todaro allegedly ignited a fire in a wooded area behind the Spring Street shopping center located off the northbound side of Route 17. This initial blaze was quickly followed by another, set approximately 20 minutes later, in a similar location behind the Interstate Shopping Center, almost a mile down the road on the southbound side of the highway.
Authorities, including the Ramsey firefighters, responded swiftly to both incidents, managing to extinguish the fires promptly. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella commended the quick action of the firefighters in preventing any significant damage or injuries.
Todaro was apprehended on Wednesday, January 24, and is currently held at the Bergen County Jail. He is awaiting his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, scheduled for Thursday. The motivation behind these deliberate acts of arson remains unclear, and the investigation is ongoing.