A man has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated arson after detectives identified him as the suspect in a series of fires at abandoned homes in Monmouth County.
Albert Caporaso, 49, of Hazlet, was arrested Thursday and charged with seven counts of aggravated arson as well as criminal mischief and resisting arrest, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
Several vacant homes on South Laurel Avenue in Hazlet went up in flames on the night of Dec. 2, 2023. Over the next four months, firefighters were called to those same houses five more times, officials said.
While police were conducting surveillance of the area on Thursday, they spotted Caporaso, who was attempting to set a storage shed on fire behind one of the properties, authorities said.
Caporaso was arrested on the scene and taken into custody. He is being held at Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending his first appearance in Superior Court, which is scheduled for Wednesday.
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
