Man Charged With Setting 2 Fires Behind Bergen County Shopping Centers: Prosecutor

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A New York man has been charged with setting two fires in the woods behind shopping centers in Ramsey earlier this month.

Nicholas Todaro, 36, of Orangeburg, N.Y., has been charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated arson, and two counts of third-degree arson, the office of Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced Thursday.

Prosecutors said that on Jan. 5, 2024, around 6:36 p.m., the Ramsey Police Department responded to a fire in a wooded area behind a shopping center located at 50 Spring St.

Approximately 20 minutes later, there was a report of a second fire, in a wooded area behind 8 Interstate Shopping Center in Ramsey, prosecutors said. Both shopping centers are near Route 17.

Both fires were extinguished by the Ramsey Fire Department.

An investigation determined that Todaro intentionally set both fires, prosecutors said.

The Fire Department had initially posted on social media that evening, "Tonight crews were dispatched to multiple brush fires across the borough off Franklin Turnpike in the woods behind various businesses. The fires were rapidly extinguished and brought under control by joint teams from Ramsey Fire & Rescue. The cause of the fires are under investigation by Ramsey Police and the Ramsey Fire Official."

They added, "Remember to always use care when disposing of fire place ashes, and smoking materials."

Wednesday, Jan. 24, Todaro was taken to the Bergen County Jail to await his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.