Video Of Playground Fire At Matthew Jago School In Woodbridge

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Provided exclusively to Patch by Woodbridge resident Frank Crowe, here is video of the serious fire that nearly destroyed the playground at Matthew Jago school earlier this August. Scroll down to watch the video.

This is the only known video of the Aug. 1 fire, which shows how serious it was. Three local Woodbridge Twp. teens have been arrested and charged with causing the fire. The juveniles (age 15, 14 and 14) were arrested Friday, Aug. 3. They are all from Woodbridge Township. The teens were allegedly observed at the playground in the late afternoon of Wed., Aug. 1.

"I was on West Avenue and saw the smoke and by the time I got to Old Road, and saw the playground, it was already fully engulfed," Crowe told Patch. "I was heading to a friend's house when we saw the fire/smoke in Sewaren."

The fire was first reported at 5:45 p.m. Aug. 1, after a resident who lives nearby saw the flames and called 911. When firefighters got there, the Jago school playground was engulfed in flames.

The case remains under investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. The exact cause of the fire — including whether it was deliberate or accidental — has not been released, Woodbridge Twp. spokesman John Hagerty told Patch on Thursday, Aug. 16.

The fire caused more than $100,000 in damage to the playground. That playground was actually specially created for autistic and special-needs children.

This is not the first time a playground in Woodbridge Twp. has been badly damaged by fire: In 2009, a playground at Fifth District Park in Avenel was destroyed by fire, as well. Originally, officials thought it was arson but the cause of that fire turned out to be accidental, from kids playing with matches or a cigarette lighter.

Past Patch reporting: Suspected Arson Fire Destroys Woodbridge Playground

Three Teens Charged With Setting Fire To Woodbridge Playground