A Lit Cigarette Ignites Princeton House Fire

No one was injured in the Friday afternoon blaze.

A Moore Street home suffered extensive damage early Friday afternoon after a resident ignited a fire by discarding his lit cigarette on a pile of dry leaves and a plastic rain diverter, according to Princeton Borough Police.  No one was hurt, but about than 60 firefighters and six emergency medical technicians responded to the blaze at 156 Moore Street, the home of Marc and Susana Monseau, police said. A resident of the house called police at 12:42 p.m. and reported that the back of his house was on fire. When police arrived on scene a minute later, the residents were outside and the back of the house was engulfed in flames. The fire had spread from the leaves and the rain diverter to the exterior wall and deck of the house, police said.  …

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Fires Set to Mailboxes, Pile of Leaves, Police Say

Incidents happened in Belle Mead section of the township according to authorities.

Fires were set to a number of mailboxes, as well as a pile of leaves, in the Belle Mead section of Hillsborough on Wednesday night, township police said. The blazes were set to a total of five mailboxes, along with the leaves, Lt. Fran Mozgai, a spokesman for the Hillsborough Police Department, said. All of the fires weres set on different roads, Mozgai said. He said the fires were set on Raddel Court, Davenport Way, Horseshoe Drive, Woodmere Drive, Steeple Drive and Tally Ho Trail. Mozgai said that it is reasonable to believe the acts were committed by the same individual or individuals. The incidents are under investigation.

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Fire Safety Investigates After Fire at Fisher Drive House

An official report is pending.

The Hillsborough Fire Safety Office is still investigating a Friday morning fire at 6 Fisher Drive. Firefighters from Hillsborough Volunteer Fire Company 1, 2 and 3 reported to the fire at 8 a.m., along with the Hillsborough Bureau of Fire Safety, the Hillsborough Rescue Squad, the Manville Fire Department and the Finderne Fire Department. The fire appeared to be extinguished by 9 a.m., though fire and construction crews are still on the scene. Further information is pending an investigation.

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Merritt Drive Home Deemed Uninhabitable After Fire

Surrounding units inhabitable, according to Hillsborough officials.

A Merritt Drive home that sustained fire damage Tuesday night has been deemed uninhabitable by Hillsborough Township Construction Officials. According to a release from the Hillsborough Township Police Department, township emergency services responded to the call of a basement fire in a Merritt Drive townhouse, belonging to Cliff Lee, at 8:42 p.m. Tuesday. Upon arriving at the scene, a heavy smoke condition and small fire in the residence basement prompted the evacuation of its four occupants. Eight other residences connected tot eh unit were also evacuated. The fire was contained to the basement and was extinguished by the responding fire companies. No injuries were sustained during the fire. While the townhouse was deemed uninhabitable, …

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No Injuries in Merritt Drive Townhouse Fire

Basement fire causes minor damage to the unit.

A fire in a Merritt Drive townhouse unit was extinguished within five minutes of fire companies arriving at the scene Tuesday night, according to township fire marshals. The fire, which was reported around 8:45 p.m., occurred in the basement of the residence, Fire Marshal John Yanko said. The fire did not spread beyond the basement. "It was a small contents fire in the basement of the residence," he said. "It just kind of stayed contained in the basement. It was put out immediately; within five minutes." The residents were home at the time of the incident and were unharmed, he added. The fire left only minor damages in the home, and Yanko expects that they will be permitted to inhabit the residence. Hillsborough Township Volunteer Fire Cos…

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OMGs from New Jersey PDs

Alleged Drunk School Bus Driver, A Suspect Who's All Wet

Also, "Dancing Shoplifter's" fame lands him in trouble.

Each week, Patch takes a peek at some of the more surprising, shocking, stunning and occasionally silly police-related incidents reported throughout New Jersey for "OMGs from NJ PDs." Some of this week's reports: Over the Woods and Through the River? That's pretty close to the course charted by a Long Valley woman who was arrested after allegedly trying to steal two farm vehicles belonging to Ort Farms. The woman was confronted by farm staff during the attempted theft, and fled the scene by crossing the South Branch of the Raritan River, police said. Multiple police departments set up a perimeter, giving the alleged soggy stealer nowhere to go. Do a Little Dance, Steal a Little Dress, Get Caught Tonight: Gloucester Township Police say they…

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Downed Power Lines Close River Road

Crash occurred earlier in the day, but power crews have been unable to repair the wires.

River Road remained closed Monday night near the Branchburg Township border—where it is known as Opie Road—after an afternoon crash downed a utility pole and power lines. Though Neshanic Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Bill Iden was unable to comment on whether the crash injured anyone, he did say that the person got out of the vehicle unaided. The car, which Iden said was a minivan, hit the power pole and downed the lines at about 1:30 p.m. No power outages have been reported in the Hillsborough portion of the area. Neshanic Volunteer Fire Co. members and the Branchburg Police closed the road shortly after the incident and have been monitoring the situation since.  Storm response delayed the power company that owns the pole from coming to repair…

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Hillsborough Woman Injured in Franklin Crash

Two-car crash occurred Tuesday on Blackwells Mills Road.

A Hillsborough resident was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick with neck and leg injuries from a Tuesday car crash on Blackwells Mills Road in Franklin. According to Franklin Township Police Sgt. Phillip Rizzo, Kimberly Kirwan, 35, of Hillsborough, was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Franklin Township Police responded to Blackwells Mills Road near the intersection of Van Cleef Road around 4:28 p.m, for a serious motor vehicle crash. Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered a 1997 Toyota Corolla, driven by Tejas Patel, 20, of Somerset, collided with Kirwan's 2006 Honda Odyssey, police said. Rescue crews extricated Patel from his vehicle and the New Jersey State Police NorthStar …

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No Injuries in Chandler Court Fire

Police and fire marshal investigating cause of blaze.

Hillsborough Township Police and Hillsborough Fire Marshal Chris Weniger are investigating the cause of a fire that was confined to the living room of 54 Chandler Court, but said no one was injured during the blaze. Neighbors reported the fire after seeing smoke at the residence Tuesday at about 12:10 p.m. Upon reaching the scene, the fire departments determined the blaze was contained to a single room on the first floor of the house.   The homeowner, who Weniger said was an older woman, was not home at the time. The fire took about 15 minutes to extinguish and the residence is uninhabitable, he said. Weniger hoped to determine the cause of the fire by Wednesday, but said the investigation could take longer. "It depends on what they find …

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