Man Charged With Arson In Haddon Township Fire: Police

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Camden man has been arrested and charged with arson in connection with a car fire in Haddon Township last month, police announced.

In the early morning hours of July 29, the Haddon Township Police Department and the Collingswood Fire Department were dispatched to a home in the 1100 block of Newton Avenue for a vehicle fire.

Arriving officers discovered a 2004 Chevy Colorado fully engulfed in flames in the driveway of the home parked next to the occupied home. The home was evacuated as firefighters extinguished the blaze.

After the fire was put out, officers on the scene discovered that the car battery had been disconnected, meaning the fire wasn’t caused by an electrical issue. Detectives and the Haddon Township Fire Marshal were called in to investigate, and the fire was deemed to be suspicious.

Police conducted an investigation that included area residential surveillance footage and witness interviews. Following the investigation, on Aug.15, police arrested 38-year-old Jose A. Mendez, Jr. at his home without incident.

Menendez is charged with second-degree aggravated arson, Haddon Township police announced on Thursday. He was remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility pending a preliminary hearing in Superior Court.

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