Zion Road Man Accused of Setting Amwell Fire

A 69-year-old Zion Road resident has been charged with allegedly setting a fire that home last weekend.

Curtis Westover was arrested Saturday at the and charged with second-degree aggravated arson with bail set at $50,000 with no 10 percent option, according to a statement released Monday by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

The fire broke out at the unoccupied historic structure at 697 Amwell Road on Sunday, March 18 at about 7:30 a.m., the prosecutor's office said.

Units 37 and 38 from the Hillsborough Fire Department, Neshanic Station Fire Department Unit 48 and Flagtown Fire Department along with the Hillsborough Rescue Squad all responded to the blaze.

Detectives from the Hillsborough Police Department in conjunction with detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Squad and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Arson Task Force "deemed the fire to be intentionally set," the prosecutor's office said.

As a , Westover was charged with allegedly setting the fire, the prosecutor's office said.

No further details, including a possible motive, were going to be released, Capt Jack Bennett, a spokesman for Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano, said.

The remains of the structure were demolished last week.

John Lazorchak, who is the chief of the Neshanic Fire Co., owned the home and the adjacent Lazorchak had been trying to demolish the structure and build a 6,700-square-foot office building.

However, the Historic Preservation Commission denied the request, which Lazorchak appealed. Lazorchak's appeal was r.

Lazorchak and his attorney, Michelle Lamar, have not returned messages for comment over the past week.

Anyone with information regarding the fire should contact the Hillsborough Police Department at 908-369-4323 or the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Squad at 908-231-7100. All calls are confidential.