Bergen County Man Charged With Aggravated Arson & Criminal Mischief

Friday, October 3, 2025, 7:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

LYNDHURST, NJ.- On Tuesday, following an arson investigation, a 42-year-old Lyndhurst, New Jersey, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with allegedly starting a fire in a stairway in a common hallway of a Lyndhurst, New Jersey apartment building.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, just shortly before 8:30 a.m., members of the Lyndhurst Police Department and the Lyndhurst Fire Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a fire at 522 Valley Brook Avenue in Lyndhurst.

     Upon arrival, Police Officers and Firefighters found fire in the common stairwell of a multi-family apartment building. Police Officers and Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and removed a resident who was located near the fire. Following putting out the fire, Lyndhurst Firefighters and Police Officers contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad.

Investigators Determine Pluchino Set The Fire

     Detectives of the Bergen County Arson Squad, along with Investigators from the Bergen County Arson Task Force, launched an investigation with assistance from the Lyndhurst Police Department. During the investigation, Detectives and Investigators determined that Alexander Pluchino, 42, a resident of the apartment building who had been removed from the building by Police Officers, intentionally ignited cardboard and other debris in the stairwell of the apartment building.

     Accordingly, on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, Pluchino was taken into custody and formally charged with second-degree Aggravated Arson; third-degree Arson; fourth-degree Creating a Risk of Widespread Injury or Damage; fourth-degree Criminal Mischief; and fourth-degree Failure to Take Responsible Measures to Put Out, Control, or Report a Fire.

     Pluchino was processed on the charges and remanded to the Bergen County Jail, pending future court proceedings in the 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.”