Crime & Safety
Owner Charged With Arson In '17 Sandwich Shop Fire: Prosecutor
Robert Pinero, 34, of North Bergen, went into a Hawthorne Blimpie's early one morning a few minutes before the fire started, officials said.
PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — The owner of a Blimpie's sandwich shop in Hawthorne was charged with arson in connection with a fire that occurred there in August 2017.
Robert Pinero, 34, of North Bergen, was charged with two counts each of aggravated arson and conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes and Hawthorne Police Chief Richard McAuliffe said in a joint news release.
Police responded to the Blimpie's at 111 Wagaraw Road in Hawthorne in response to a report of a fire inside the restaurant, authorities said. Officials found several places the fire started from and an "incendiary device," they said.
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An investigation revealed that Pinero and another man entered the restaurant, which was closed, a few minutes before the fire started, and then left, authorities said.
Pinero is scheduled to appear in Passaic County Central Judicial Processing Court Saturday.
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Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com
Photo: Robert Pinero, 34, of North Bergen (Passaic County Prosecutor's Office)
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