Manchester Township, NJ – Police have arrested a man in connection with a bias crime spree that included a house fire and antisemitic graffiti.
Ron Carr, 34, was arrested by Manchester Township Police and charged with 36 criminal counts including arson, and bias intimidation in the first degree.
Police received multiple calls about vandalism of homes in the Pine Lake Parks area on June 6. When officers arrived they found that the homes of 14 Jewish residents had graffiti scrawled on them including Nazi symbolism.
The next day police received a call about a fire in the same neighborhood and were told of a suspicious person on foot near the fire who matched the description of the vandalism suspect.
No one was injured in the fire, but the house was destroyed and three other homes were damaged.
“No community in the State of New Jersey should feel vulnerable or anxious in the face of acts of intolerance,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. “No resident should feel their personal safety or their home is threatened by bigotry, persecution and violence.”
Carr is currently being held at a medical facility and will be transported to the Ocean County Jail pending his detention hearing.
First-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000.
