Somerville Man Charged With Arson After Main Street Fire

SOMERVILLE, NJ — A Somerville man is facing charges in connection with a June fire that damaged multiple buildings on West Main Street and displaced several people, officials said.

Amr A. Khodeer, 24, was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated arson, Somerset County First Assistant Prosecutor Annemarie L. Mueller said in a news release. He is currently serving time at Morris County Jail for a motor vehicle theft charge also stemming from the incident, prosecutors said.

On June 4 shortly after 2 p.m., fire crews were called to a four-alarm fire on West Main Street in Somerville. The blaze resulted in severe damage to King Tut restaurant and the neighboring Mike's Courtside Kitchen and damaged other Main Street businesses, according to a MyCentralJersey.com report.

Four firefighters and one police officer suffered minor injuries from the fire, authorities said. Two people were treated at the scene and two others were hospitalized and later released.

Investigators later determined that Khodeer was seen leaving the basement of one of the damaged buildings as smoke billowed out behind him, authorities said.

A short time later, Khodeer took a construction vehicle from Union Street in Somerville and was seen leaving the area at a high rate of speed, authorities said. The vehicle struck two cars and a building in Bridgewater before it broke down.

Khodeer fled the vehicle, authorities said, and was later apprehended by Bridgewater police. Authorities said Khodeer had fresh burns on his person and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

He was arrested on June 4 and charged with second-degree theft of a motor vehicle.

Anyone with information about the arson should contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Somerville Police Department at 908-725-0331 or via the STOPit app. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.