Lakewood man wielded scissors in robbery, then set fires, prosecutor says
LAKEWOOD - A Lakewood man was charged after he was accused of approaching a victim on the sidewalk, brandishing scissors, demanding money and then setting fires Thursday night, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Friday.
Ricardo Buitron, 21, was charged with two counts of aggravated arson, robbery, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection with a series of events that happened Thursday in Lakewood, Billhimer said.
Around 11:30 p.m., a man arrived at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters to report that he was a victim of a robbery that took place in the area of Lexington Avenue and Fourth Street, according to the announcement. He told police that a man approached him while walking down the sidewalk, brandished a pair of scissors and demanded money.
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The victim reported that he was able to push the suspect into a nearby business on Lexington Avenue, Billhimer said. The suspect fled the area on foot in an unknown direction, but the victim was able to give a description to the police.
While Lakewood police were responding to the area, they were flagged down on Fourth Street by a witness who reported that a fire had been set behind a business, the statement said. They put the fire out and were clearing the debris when they noticed a second fire had been ignited in the same area, which they also extinguished.
The entire first floor basement of the three-story commercial and residential structure smelled of gasoline, said Billhimer.
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A scene examination revealed two points of origin, according to the press release. The first was a black sweatshirt and the second was a cardboard box within the immediate vicinity of the rear of the structure.
"It was determined that the fires were intentionally set by open flame to an ignitable liquid," the prosecutor said. "Because of the quick suppression, the fires were contained to the sweatshirt and the cardboard box before spreading to the occupied structure."
The physical description given to police of the arson suspect matched that of the robbery suspect, said Billhimer. After further investigation, Buitron was identified as the individual who committed both the robbery and the arsons, and was taken into custody by Lakewood police shortly after in the area of Third Street and Clifton Avenue.
Billhimer said Buitron was taken to Ocean County Jail in Toms River where he is awaiting a detention hearing.
Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood NJ robbery: man used scissors then set fires
