A warehouse manager has been arrested and charged on allegations that he set the facility on fire in an attempt to cover up that he stole expensive copper materials.
Davon Fields, 45, of Newark, was charged on Jan. 13 with two counts of aggravated arson, two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, three counts of burglary, theft and several other crimes related to the incident, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said on Monday.
On the night of Nov. 3, 2023, police and firefighters responded to a fire at a commercial warehouse on Fulton Street in Boonton. The two-alarm blaze was burning in the warehouse area, as well as a secured area on the property that is leased by a pharmaceutical company, officials said.
Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions worked to extinguish the fire.
Investigators found evidence that the fire had been intentionally set, including a heavy odor of petroleum and a gasoline type canister nozzle, authorities said. Surveillance video also captured two masked people entering the warehouse around the time of the fire, prosecutors said.
A company that uses the warehouse reported that copper materials estimated to be worth $233,000 were missing from the facility, authorities said. Further investigation found that on November 1 and 3, Fields was in the area of the warehouse and also visited a scrap yard to sell quantities of copper, prosecutors alleged.
He is in custody at Morris County Correctional Facility pending court proceedings.
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
