Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on November 15, 2025, George DiPierro, 70, of Berkeley Township was charged with three counts of Aggravated Arson in connection with an incident that occurred in Berkeley Township on November 15, 2025.
On November 15, 2025, at approximately 12:15 p.m., the Berkeley Township Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to a residence on Harbor Court for a report of a residential fire. Upon arrival, emergency personnel observed smoke on the first floor of the structure as well as a fire that appeared to have been extinguished. Firefighters arrived and discovered two additional fires in rooms on the second floor of the structure that they were able to extinguish. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office K-9 Unit, Berkeley Township Fire Prevention Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that the origin of the fire on the first floor was in the southwest corner of the residence and the cause of the fire was incendiary by an unknown person utilizing an open flame to available combustibles. The investigation also revealed that the origins of the two fires on the second floor of the structure were in two separate bedrooms, and the causes of both fires were likewise incendiary by an unknown person utilizing an open flame to available combustibles.
Continuing investigation identified DiPierro, who lived at the residence, as the individual responsible for setting all three fires. DiPierro was taken into custody at the scene without incident. DiPierro was transported to the Ocean County Jail where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
Prosecutor Billhimer commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office K-9 Unit, Berkeley Township Fire Prevention Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their combined efforts in connection with this investigation.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
R.P.C. 3.6(b)(6).