East Rutherford Man Charged In Thursday’s Hotel Fire

Friday, January 10, 2025, 6:40 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ.- On Thursday, a 55-year-old East Rutherford, New Jersey man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with setting a hotel room on fire at the Fairfield Inn Hotel in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Thursday, January 9, 2025, shortly before 11:30 a.m., members of the East Rutherford Police Department and the East Rutherford Fire Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a fire at the Fairfield Inn hotel located on Paterson Plank Road in East Rutherford.

     During the initial investigation, responding Police Officers learned that a hotel guest set his room on fire following an altercation with a Fairfield Inn hotel employee and then fled the area. First responders tended to the fire in the hotel room and ensured that all hotel guests were safely evacuated from the hotel. No injuries were reported.

     The East Rutherford Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad, notified them of the fire’s circumstances, and requested assistance from the Arson Task Force. During a joint investigation, Detectives determined that following a dispute with a hotel staff member, Vincente Carabello, 55, intentionally set his hotel room on fire, activating the hotel’s sprinkler system and causing extensive damage to the hotel.

     Following starting the fire, Carabello fled the hotel room and assaulted a hotel employee he encountered while fleeing. The employee was not seriously injured. Carabello was later located by Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the East Rutherford Police Department and was taken into custody.

     Accordingly, on Thursday, Carabello was formally charged with two counts of second-degree Aggravated Arson; second-degree Risk of Causing Widespread Injury or Damage; third-degree Arson; third-degree Criminal Mischief; and a Disorderly Persons Offense of Simple Assault.

     Carabello 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.”