Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Man Charged With Homicide And Arson In Connection With Bloomingdale Drive Fire

Hillsborough resident, Juan Jimenez-Olivera, 29, of Hamilton Road, was arrested on Friday in connection with Tuesday morning's fire on Bloomingdale Drive and the death of a 30-year-old woman found inside the home. 

Prosecutor Soriano states that on Tuesday, April 29 at approximately 8:23 
a.m., Hillsborough Township Police along with multiple Hillsborough Township Fire Departments responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a residential fire at a Bloomingdale Drive residence. Upon making entry into the residence, fire personnel located a deceased female on the second floor of the dwelling.

Detectives from the Hillsborough Township Police Department, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Scene and Forensics Unit, the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Arson Task Force, and the New Jersey Regional Medical Examiner’s Office all responded to conduct an investigation.

The decedent was identified as Sviatlana Dranko, 30. The investigation 
revealed two separate points of origin, and the fire was deemed suspicious. Prosecutor Soriano states that further investigation revealed that the victim was deceased prior to the setting of the fire. Arson Investigators have determined that the fire was intentionally set within the two separate points of origin. 

Since the initial report of the incident, detectives conducted an around-the-clock 
investigation following numerous leads, conducting many interviews, and processing crime scene evidence. The investigation led the investigators to Defendant Jimenez-Olivera, an acquaintance and co-worker of the victim.

Yesterday evening, Defendant Jimenez-Olivera was identified as the person responsible for the death of Ms. Dranko and the setting of the fires, and he was placed under arrest at the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. Detectives are not releasing a motive for the homicide. 

Prosecutor Soriano states that defendant Jimenez-Olivera was charged with 
Homicide, 1st Degree, and Aggravated Arson, 2nd Degree. Defendant Jimenez-Olivera was lodged at the Somerset County Jail with bail set by the Honorable Julie M. Marino, The investigation and arrest was a collaborative and intense effort by and between detectives from the Hillsborough Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police and various regional FBI offices throughout the United States.

Prosecutor Soriano states:“The detectives involved in this investigation worked tirelessly to promptly apprehend the individual responsible for this very tragic case. The law enforcement community is extremely grateful to all who assisted in this investigation and its collective heart goes out to Ms. Dranko’s family.”

Prosecutor Soriano, Chief Fitzgerald and Chief Kaminsky request anyone with 
information regarding this investigation to contact the Hillsborough Township Police Department at (908) 369-4323, the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100, or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE”. All Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.


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