Man Set Fire To Perth Amboy Bar Monday, Police Say

PERTH AMBOY, NJ — An Ocean Grove man deliberately set fire to a building in Perth Amboy early in the morning on Labor Day Monday, said the Middlesex County prosecutor.

The building housed several residences and a local bar, Casanova Lounge on State Street. Five people were injured in the fire.

Rey Zarzuela-Severino, 36, of Ocean Grove, was arrested that same day and charged with second-degree aggravated arson, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree criminal mischief, third-degree possession of a destructive device, and fourth-degree causing risk of widespread injury or damage.

At 2:59 a.m. Monday, Perth Amboy police and local firefighters were dispatched to the Casanova Lounge, at 983 State Street, following the report of a structure fire.

Multiple residents were rushed out of the burning building and taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated for injuries, none of which were life-threatening.

Police say Zarzuela-Severino broke a bar window and set the fire inside the structure. Smoke from the fire entered into multiple apartments above the bar, all occupied.

Officer Jorge Irizarry II of the Perth Amboy Police Department and Detective Jose Rosario of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office led the investigation.

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