Crime & Safety
West Caldwell Police Charge Man With Arson, Fraud After Car Fire
A "suspicious fire" took place in the lot of a West Caldwell business. A Paterson man was charged with arson and fraud, police said.
WEST CALDWELL, NJ — A Paterson man has been charged with arson and insurance fraud in connection with a car fire that took place in West Caldwell, police announced last week.
According to the West Caldwell Police Department, officers and firefighters with the West Caldwell Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire in the parking lot of a Passaic Avenue business on Aug. 13.
When police and fire crews arrived, the car – a 2014 Honda Pilot – was “fully engulfed in flames,” authorities said.
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West Caldwell firefighters were able to quickly bring the blaze under control with no injuries to personnel, authorities said.
The fire was deemed to be “suspicious in nature.” After a joint investigation between police, fire and insurance investigators, authorities issued a warrant for the arrest of Jose Rodriguez-Beco, 36, of Paterson, on Oct. 21.
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Rodriguez-Beco has refused to turn himself in for processing on these charges, West Caldwell police stated last week. Anyone with information on his whereabouts can contact the West Caldwell Police Department Detective Bureau at (973) 226-4114.
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