Manville man charged with residential arson
A 25-year-old Manville man has been arrested and charged with starting a fire at a borough home three months ago.
Paul Basta was arrested Aug. 16 at his home and charged with two counts of aggravated arson, a second-degree crime, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Basta was being held in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.
Manville police responded about 3:43 a.m. May 15 to a 911 call about a residential fire, according to the Prosecutor's Office, which did not provide the street, citing privacy concerns and the ongoing investigation. The Manville Fire Department responded to extinguish the blaze.
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The Manville Police Department requested the assistance of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Fire Investigation Unit, and an investigation by detectives from that unit, as well as the Major Crimes Unit, Manville police detectives and the Ocean County Fire Marshal's Office K-9 unit indicated Basta was suspected of intentionally setting fire to the home.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Manville Police Department at 908-725-1900 or via the STOPit app Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Manville NJ man charged with residential arson
