Cliffside Park man arrested after fire that ‘appeared to be suspicious,’ officials say
A Cliffside Park man was arrested on charges of narcotics possession and failure to report a fire after the investigation of a “suspicious” fire that took place in Cliffside Park on Sunday morning, officials said.
At about 10:35 a.m., the Cliffside Park Police Department and Fire Department responded to a fire in an apartment at 238 Palisade Ave. Soon after, they notified the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad that the fire “appeared to be suspicious in nature,” the Prosecutor’s Office.
An investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office and Cliffside Park police determined that the apartment was not occupied at the time of the fire, officials said.
Christopher J. Perez, 40, of Cliffside Park left the apartment after the fire spread and did not notify the authorities, officials said.
In addition, while trying to determine the origin and cause of the fire, investigators found a “white powdery substance” believed to be “crack cocaine” inside the apartment, they said.
Perez was charged Sunday with third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance, fourth-degree endangering the life of another and failure to take responsible measure to put out or control a fire, and possession with intent to use paraphernalia to inhale a control dangerous substance, a disorderly persons offense, the Prosecutor’s Office said.
He was taken to Bergen New Bridge Medical Center for medical evaluation and will appear in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack upon medical discharge.
No injuries were reported in the fire, and the exact cause remains undetermined.