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Car's engine compartment ignited and she was trapped inside the
vehicle.
Belle Mead resident Martha Spencer, 63, was seriously injured
when the 1994 Lincoln Towne Car she was driving in the
northbound lane of Route 206 crossed the center line and struck
a Ford van driven by Manville resident Jerard Galaini, 41, at
8:06 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
The accident occurred on Route 206 between Old Somerville
Road and Doctors Way. Route 206 between Andria Avenue and Farm
Road was closed for several hours after the accident.
The engine compartment of Ms. Spencer's car ignited and she
was trapped inside the vehicle, police said. Hillsborough Fire
Companies No. 36 and 37 extinguished the fire, and she was
rescued from the car by emergency personnel.
She was sent to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in
New Brunswick for the treatment of unidentified serious
injuries, police said.
Mr. Galaini was treated at the scene for a reported neck
injury.
Route 206, between Farm Road and Andria Avenue, was closed
for approximately two hours during the field investigation.
The crash remains under investigation at this time. Anyone
who witnessed the crash is asked to contact the Hillsborough
Police Traffic Bureau at 369-4323, ext. 625.
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Fires labeled arson
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By: Donna Lukiw, Staff Writer
08/25/2005
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Two suspicious fires occurred in Manville only three hours
apart.
Somerset County Prosecutor's Arson Task Force is
investigating two suspicious fires that occurred in Manville
only three hours apart.
Firefighters responded to a house fire at 1001 Dukes
Parkway at 12:06 a.m. Wednesday.
Then, only three hours later at 2:51 a.m., firefighters
were responding to a fire at the residence of 321 Boesel
Ave.
"We believe they were both intentionally set," Somerset
County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said. "The houses are rental
properties."
There were no reported injuries and the fires are
currently under investigation.
Firefighters believed a man was inside the Boesel Avenue
house and searched the property as the fire was being
extinguished.
No one was found inside the house, however.
Manville Police Capt. Mark Snicsak said a family living
in the Boesel Avenue house had been provided shelter and
other assistance
by the
American Red Cross in Somerville onWednesday.
He added the Dukes Parkway house was not occupied.
Both houses were extensively damaged and rendered
unoccupiable.
No other information was released by the Manville Police
Department or the Somerset County prosecutor's office.
Hillsborough and Finderne fire companies also responded
to the fires.
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August 25, 2005
By GREG MARANO and MICHAEL DEAK
Staff WritersMANVILLE -- Two suspicious
early morning fires Wednesday are being investigated by
the Somerset County Arson Task Force.
No injuries were reported in either of the residential
fires, which were reported at 1001 Dukes Parkway East at
12:06 a.m. and at 321 Boesel Ave. at 2:52 a.m.
"Clearly, we're looking into whether they may be related,"
Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest said. "Both
are suspicious, believed to be arson."Forrest said this
was the third fire in a relatively short period of time at
the home on Dukes Parkway East, but the causes of those
fires are still under investigation.
One occupant of the Boesel Avenue fire was taken to
Somerset Medical Center in Somerville for treatment and
was released.
The fire damage to the Boesel Avenue home was contained to
a first-floor bedroom and hallway, while the rest of the
home had smoke and water damage, said borough fire
official Barry Van Horn.
Fire companies from Manville, Hillsborough and Finderne
responded to the scene and Somerville was placed on
standby. Rescue squads from Manville and Hillsborough were
also called. The second floor of the unoccupied Dukes
Parkway house suffered fire damage, while the first floor
sustained smoke and water damage, Van Horn said.
Responding to the scene were fire companies from Manville,
Finderne and Hillsborough along with the Manville Rescue
Squad.
Forrest said more information would be released today.
Agnes Kassick, who lives on Boesel Avenue next door to the
house that was on fire, said, "The street was just crowded
with fire engines and people walking around the
neighborhood to watch it ... There was an awful lot of
smoke." "We were taking over some clothes for them, what
we had," she said. "It's a shame what happened."
Anyone with information about these fires can call either
the Manville Police Department at (908) 725-1900, the
Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Arson Task Force at
(908) 575-3300 or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers TIPS
Line at (888) 577-TIPS (8477). |
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By GIOVANNA FABIANO
Staff Writer
August 26, 2005
MANVILLE -- Authorities believe a suspicious fire in an
unoccupied Dukes Parkway house -- one of two early morning
blazes Wednesday being investigated as arsons -- was set by
a man who may have lived in both homes in recent years.
Luis Alberto Aguilar Fajardo, whose current address is
unknown, was charged Thursday with first-degree arson for
hire and second-degree aggravated arson for allegedly
causing a Dukes Parkway home to go up in flames and hiring
someone to help with the job, said Somerset County Prosector
Wayne J. Forrest.<p>If convicted on both charges, Fajardo
could face up to 30 years in prison.
The 12:06 a.m. fire at 1001 Dukes Parkway East was followed
by another suspicious fire nearly three hours later at 321
Boesel Ave., Forrest said.
Authorities are still trying to unravel the details of both
incidents, Forrest said, and it remains unclear whether the
fires are related.
Fajardo, who was arrested at a relative's home on North
First Avenue, may have lived at the Dukes Parkway home and
the Boesel Avenue home in recent years, Forrest said.
Forrest said this was the third fire in the last month at
the home on Dukes Parkway East. Tenants left the home after
it was damaged by two fires the week of Aug. 14, authorities
said. Those fires are still being investigated.
On Wednesday, Manville police responded to the home shortly
after midnight, after receiving a 911 call from a passer-by
who saw the flames.
After conducting several interviews late into the night
Wednesday and Thursday, detectives from the Manville and
North Plainfield police departments and the prosecutor's
Major Crimes Squad began searching for Fajardo, who was
arrested after attempting to flee from police.
The second floor of the unoccupied Dukes Parkway house
suffered fire damage, while the first floor sustained smoke
and water damage, authorities said.
Assisting were Manville, Finderne and Hillsborough volunteer
fire departments, and the county prosecutor's Arson Task
Force subsequently joined in to investigate.
At the Boesel Avenue home, one occupant was taken to
Somerset Medical Center in Somerville for treatment and was
released Wednesday.
The fire damage to that home was contained to a first-floor
bedroom and hallway, while the rest of the home had smoke
and water damage.
Anyone with information about the fires can call either the
Manville Police Department at (908) 725-1900, the Somerset
County Prosecutor's Office Arson Task Force at (908)
575-3300 or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers TIPS Line at
(888) 577-TIPS (8477). Giovanna Fabiano can be reached at
(908) 782-2300 or gfabiano@c-n.com
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