Berkeley Township Man Charged With Setting A Brush Fire

Saturday, December 13, 2025, 7:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ.- On Wednesday, a 48-year-old Berkeley Township, New Jersey, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with allegedly setting a fire in front of a Berkeley Township home earlier in the day.

     According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, members of the Berkeley Township Police Department and the Fire Department responded to a report of a small brush fire at a home located on Pheaant Drive in the Township.

     Upon arrival, Police Officers and Firefighters found a smoldering mulch bed in front of the residence. Fitefighters quickly extinguished the fire. During the ensuing investigation, Ocean County law enforcement Investigators and Fire Officials determined that the origin of the fire was in the mulch bed on the south side of the residence, and that the cause was incendiary in nature, set by an unknown person.

Investigators Identify Bruno As The Suspect

     Further investigation led Investigators to determine that John Bruno, 48, of Berkeley Township, New Jersey, had intentionally set the fire. Accordingly, later in the day, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Bruno was taken into custody and formally charged with one count of second-degree Aggravated Arson.

     Bruno was processed on the charge and was remanded to the Ocean County Jail. Following his First Appearance in Ocean County Superior Court, Bruno was released on monitoring conditions pending future court proceedings.

“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.”