35-Year-Old Manchester Township Man Sentenced To State Prison For 2023 Overnight Antisemitic Vandalism Spree
Sunday, August 17, 2024, 7:00 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ.- A 35-year-old Manchester Township, New Jersey man appeared in Ocean County Superior Court and was sentenced to New Jersey State Prison for a June 2023 overnight antisemitic vandalism and arson crime spree.
According To Prosecutor
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on Friday, August 16, 2024, Ron Carr, 35, of Manchester Township, New Jersey, was sentenced by Ocean County Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to seven years in State Prison, in accordance to his previously entered guilty plea to Arson in connection with crimes that occurred in Manchester Township on June 6, 2023, and during the early morning hours on June 7, 2023.
Additional Sentences
Additionally, Judge Ryan sentenced Carr to five years in prison for his previously entered guilty plea to Bias Intimidation and 18 months in prison for two counts of Criminal Mischief, all in connection with the events that occurred overnight between June 6, 2023, and June 7, 2023. These sentences will run concurrently with the sentence for the arson conviction. Carr pled guilty to all the charges on June 20, 2024, before Judge Ryan.
The guilty plea and sentence stem from an investigation that began on June 6, 2023, when, at around 11:45 p.m., members of the Manchester Township Police Department responded to the area of Pine Lake Park after receiving multiple reports of vandalism to the exterior of residential homes.
Upon arrival, Police Officers found that 14 homes had been vandalized with spray paint. Many of the homes had Nazi-related symbols painted on them. Police Officers also obtained a description of the suspect, who was believed to have committed the vandalism.
On June 7, 2023, shortly after 3:00 a.m., Police Officers again responded to the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester Township following receiving a 911 Emergency Call reporting a house on fire. Upon arrival, Police Officers found a house fully engulfed in flames. As a result of the fire, the house was completely destroyed, three other homes sustained heat damage, and the fire spread to a nearby wooded area. No one was injured during the fire.
Suspect Located
During the fire, Police Officers received reports of an individual on foot nearby who matched the description of the suspect in the earlier vandalism incidents. A short time later, Police Officers located the suspect, identified as Carr, in the area of Commonwealth Boulevard and Larchmont Street and was immediately taken into custody without incident.
The continuing investigation determined that Carr was responsible for the arson that destroyed the home and the earlier vandalism of the 14 homes. Following the investigation, Carr was formally charged. After being processed on the charges, Carr was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has remained since his initial arrest.
Following Friday’s sentence, Carr will be transferred to the custody of the New Jersey Department of Corrections to begin serving his prison sentence.
