5 Dumpster Fires Draw Arson Charges For 77-Year-Old Manchester Man

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township man has been charged with aggravated arson in connection with a series of dumpster fires that were set earlier this year, police and the prosecutor's office announced.

Nicholas Depalma of Whiting was charged with four counts of aggravated arson with the purpose to destroy a building and one count of aggravated arson to destroy or damage a forest, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Manchester Police Chief Robert Dolan announced Friday.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office's Major Crime Unit Arson Squad and Manchester Township detectives determined Depalma was responsible for five dumpster fires that were set between Jan. 1 and April 26; four were set near structures and one was set near a large wooded area, the joint statement said.

Depalma turned himself in at Manchester police on Wednesday, and was released on a summons as a consequence of bail reform, pending a future appearance in Ocean County Superior Court, authorities said.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office assisted in the investigation, authorities said.