Crime & Safety
Man Charged With Aggravated Arson In Ocean County Fire
The man was arrested more than a week after the fire, which happened on a residential street, police said.
LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Lakewood man has been charged with aggravated arson in a fire at a building in Lakewood in August, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.
Yaakov Y. Stern, 48 , was arrested Sept. 3 in connection with the fire that happened on Aug. 25 at a building on Delware Trail, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
The fire was reported about 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 25, the prosecutor's office said, and was extinguished by the Lakewood Fire Department, authorities said.
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The investigation by Lakewood detectives led to Stern being identified as the person who started the fire, the prosecutor's office said.
They did not elaborate on what led to identifying him.
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He was arrested by Lakewood police on Sept. 3 and remained the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
In addition to Lakewood police, the Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit investigated.
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