Story by Ethan
On November 16th, 2025, the arrest of George DePierro, age 70, was announced by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. George DePierro was charged with three counts of Aggravated Arson. The arrest and charges against George DePierro were a result of an investigation handled 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.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, at approximately 12:15 p.m. on November 15th, 2025, a residential fire was reported on Harbor Court in Berkeley Township, New Jersey. Responding personnel from the Berkeley Township Police Department and Fire Department found smoke coming from the first floor of the building from an already extinguished fire. Further exploration uncovered two additional fires on the second floor of the building that firefighters quickly extinguished. Detectives were able to determine that the fire on the first floor was started on the southwest side of the building using an open flame with combustible materials. The two fires on the second floor were determined to have started in a near identical way with combustible materials around an open flame; the two fires started separately in different bedrooms of the house. As a result of the investigation detectives were able to identify George DePierro as the individual allegedly responsible for causing the three fires as he was a resident of the property.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against George DePierro are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
