Story by Ethan
On July 14th, 2025, the arrest of Troy R. Taylor, age 60, was announced by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. Troy R. Taylor was charged with second-degree aggravated arson, third-degree arson, third-degree theft by unlawfully taking (motor vehicle), third-degree criminal mischief, and fourth-degree failure to take responsible measure to put out, control, or report a fire. The arrest and charges against Troy R. Taylor were a result of an investigation launched by Chief Matthew Finck of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Chief Joseph Delaney of the Hackensack Police Department.
According to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, officers from the Garfield Police Department were notified of a stolen 2019 Honda Civic from Monroe Street at 1:17 a.m. on July 11th, 2025. Officers determined that the owner of the vehicle had left his keys unattended at a bar he was in and they ended up missing when he went to retrieve them. While talking to the vehicle’s owner, officers spotted a car set ablaze at the 100 block of Monroe Street. The Garfield Police Department responded to extinguish the fire, which allowed officers to identify the burning vehicle to be the stolen 2019 Honda Civic. Detectives allege that Troy R. Taylor was the one who stole the set of car keys at the bar and intentionally set the vehicle on fire. Troy R. Taylor was located and arrested on July 11th, 2025.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against Troy R. Taylor are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
