It appears "boredom" is to blame for many firefighter arsonists.....
hmmmmmmm.........
Volunteer firefighter arrested on arson charges
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The son of a former Waldwick fire chief was arrested May 1 for allegedly setting fire to an abandoned house in Upper Saddle River, which he then reported to authorities and helped extinguish, authorities said.
Volunteers from Allendale, Ramsey, Upper Saddle River and Mahwah responded to a fire that police say caused significant damage to an abandoned house in Upper Saddle River. Police said Brian Alvarez, 23, of Ramsey, is being charged with aggravated arson and burglary for allegedly setting fire to an abandoned single family residence, which is located in and owned by Upper Saddle River.
Alvarez is the son of Waldwick residents Cathy and former Waldwick Volunteer Fire Department Chief David "Ziggy" Alvarez Sr. A woman who answered the phone at their residence Tuesday, May 3, said she had no comment.
Alvarez is an employee of the Haworth Department of Public Works and is a volunteer firefighter in Waldwick, Allendale and Haworth, police said.
A clerk at Haworth Borough Hall said Alvarez had been with the DPW for two or three years and that the governing body was expected to discuss his employment at a council meeting May 4.
Alvarez Alvarez appears to have an unlisted number and could not be reached.
According to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, Alvarez called the Allendale Police Department at 4:28 a.m. May 1 to report a structure fire on East Crescent Avenue, which he said was either in Allendale or Ramsey. The house, at 168 East Crescent Ave., is in Upper Saddle River.
Police said Alvarez claimed he had been driving down East Crescent Avenue when he noticed the fire and, as a member of the Allendale Volunteer Fire Department, he immediately responded to the firehouse after reporting the blaze and was among the first on the scene to put it out.
Firefighters from Ramsey, Upper Saddle River and Mahwah also responded. Police said the fire caused a significant amount of damage to the house and one of the firefighters was treated at the scene for a minor knee injury.
Police said area fire departments had used the abandon house to conduct drills and an investigation concluded that Alvarez had participated in those drills and knew the house was abandoned.
Waldwick Fire Chief Ken Warr said that the Waldwick Fire Department had not held drills at the house.
Police said the fire was immediately deemed suspicious because it occurred in an abandoned structure without working utilities. The Bergen County Arson Squad determined that the fire was intentionally set in multiple areas in the rear of the house, both inside and outside, authorities said.
Police are also investigating other occasions when Alvarez has reported a fire; they say he has called in vehicle and brush fires in several other towns.
Alvarez was charged with aggravated arson, a second degree crime; arson, a third degree crime; and burglary, a third degree crime. He is being held at the Bergen County Jail on $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option. He is expected to appear in Upper Saddle River Municipal Court for arraignment at 5:30 p.m. May 10.
Maureen Parenta, a spokeswoman for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, did not return several calls May 3. It could not be determined whether Alvarez has retained an attorney.
Warr said Tuesday, May 3, that Alvarez will be suspended from the department until the conclusion of the investigation.
"They are a very nice, religious and spiritual family," Waldwick Mayor Russell Litchult said in an interview May 3. "I was surprised. Sometimes kids do stupid things and I guess this is one of them."
Several members of the Waldwick Volunteer Fire Department who were asked for reaction declined to comment and did not want to be named.
E-mail:
weinberger@northjersey.com
The son of a former Waldwick fire chief was arrested May 1 for allegedly setting fire to an abandoned house in Upper Saddle River, which he then reported to authorities and helped extinguish, authorities said.
Police said Brian Alvarez, 23, of Ramsey, is being charged with aggravated arson and burglary for allegedly setting fire to an abandoned single family residence, which is located in and owned by Upper Saddle River.
Alvarez is the son of Waldwick residents Cathy and former Waldwick Volunteer Fire Department Chief David "Ziggy" Alvarez Sr. A woman who answered the phone at their residence Tuesday, May 3, said she had no comment.
Alvarez is an employee of the Haworth Department of Public Works and is a volunteer firefighter in Waldwick, Allendale and Haworth, police said.
A clerk at Haworth Borough Hall said Alvarez had been with the DPW for two or three years and that the governing body was expected to discuss his employment at a council meeting May 4.
Alvarez appears to have an unlisted number and could not be reached.
According to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, Alvarez called the Allendale Police Department at 4:28 a.m. May 1 to report a structure fire on East Crescent Avenue, which he said was either in Allendale or Ramsey. The house, at 168 East Crescent Ave., is in Upper Saddle River.
Police said Alvarez claimed he had been driving down East Crescent Avenue when he noticed the fire and, as a member of the Allendale Volunteer Fire Department, he immediately responded to the firehouse after reporting the blaze and was among the first on the scene to put it out.
Firefighters from Ramsey, Upper Saddle River and Mahwah also responded. Police said the fire caused a significant amount of damage to the house and one of the firefighters was treated at the scene for a minor knee injury.
Police said area fire departments had used the abandon house to conduct drills and an investigation concluded that Alvarez had participated in those drills and knew the house was abandoned.
Waldwick Fire Chief Ken Warr said that the Waldwick Fire Department had not held drills at the house.
Police said the fire was immediately deemed suspicious because it occurred in an abandoned structure without working utilities. The Bergen County Arson Squad determined that the fire was intentionally set in multiple areas in the rear of the house, both inside and outside, authorities said.
Police are also investigating other occasions when Alvarez has reported a fire; they say he has called in vehicle and brush fires in several other towns.
Alvarez was charged with aggravated arson, a second degree crime; arson, a third degree crime; and burglary, a third degree crime. He is being held at the Bergen County Jail on $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option. He is expected to appear in Upper Saddle River Municipal Court for arraignment at 5:30 p.m. May 10.
Maureen Parenta, a spokeswoman for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, did not return several calls May 3. It could not be determined whether Alvarez has retained an attorney.
Warr said Tuesday, May 3, that Alvarez will be suspended from the department until the conclusion of the investigation.
"They are a very nice, religious and spiritual family," Waldwick Mayor Russell Litchult said in an interview May 3. "I was surprised. Sometimes kids do stupid things and I guess this is one of them."
Several members of the Waldwick Volunteer Fire Department who were asked for reaction declined to comment and did not want to be named.