Hackensack Senior Citizen Charged With Setting Police Cars On Fire

Friday, September 5, 2025, 8:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

HACKENSACK, NJ.- On Tuesday, following an investigation, a 78-year-old Hackensack, New Jersey, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged with allegedly setting multiple Hackensack Police vehicles on fire Saturday night at a municipal parking lot.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Saturday, August 30, 2025, just shortly after 8:00 p.m., members of the Hackensack Police Department and the Hackensack Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at Hackensack Municipal Parking Lot Area T, located at 78 Trinity Place in Hackensack, New Jersey, adjacent to the Bergen County Islamic Center. The parking area is additionally utilized as an overflow for City Police Vehicles.

     Upon arrival, Police Officers and Firefighters found three marked Hackensack Police Department vehicles on fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and determined that the vehicles had been intentionally set on fire. 

During The Investigation, Detectives Identify Mignelli, Sr. As The Arsonist

     During the ensuing investigation, Detectives and Arson Investigators of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, in conjunction with the Hackensack Police Department, and following interviews with witnesses and recovering area video surveillance footage, determined that Jamie Magnelli, Sr., entered the parking area, approached the three unoccupied police vehicles, and intentionally set them on fire by igniting an accelerant that he poured onto each vehicle before fleeing the scene.

     Detectives further determined that while there were no injuries reported, the city vehicles were parked close to the Hackensack municipal gas pumps, and an occupied place of worship when the fires were set.

     Accordingly, on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, Mignelli, Sr., was taken into custody and formally charged with second-degree Aggravated Arson; second-degree Causing or Risking Widespread Injury or Damage; third-degree Arson; third-degree Criminal Mischief; and fourth-degree Failure to Report a Fire. Mignelli was processed on the charges and was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending future court proceedings in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”