Three Charged in Bergen County Arson-for-Hire Case Over 2025 Upper Saddle River House Fire
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on October 19 the arrests of three New Jersey men in an arson-for-hire investigation: Anthony V. Coviello, 54, of Rumson; Emad E. Gerges, 66, of Upper Saddle River; and Joseph Vulpis, 62, of Rumson. Prosecutors allege Gerges hired Coviello and Vulpis to intentionally set fire to a residence in Upper Saddle River; according to the court complaint, Gerges is the homeowner.
The case stems from a residential fire on Lake Road in Upper Saddle River at about 2:23 p.m. on May 16, 2025, in which the house was engulfed in flames and extinguished with mutual aid from nearby towns; the cause was initially classified as undetermined. On April 27, 2026, information from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the Rumson Police Department led the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Arson Squad to reopen the investigation. Detectives determined that on May 16, 2025, Coviello and Vulpis entered the home and used an accelerant and a homemade ignitor to set fire to the attic.
Coviello was arrested at his Rumson home on October 2, and Vulpis surrendered the same day at the Englishtown Police Department; both were charged with first-degree arson for hire, second-degree aggravated arson, second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, third-degree arson, third-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree failure to control or report a fire. Gerges was arrested on October 16 and charged with first-degree arson for hire and second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated arson. All three were remanded to the Bergen County Jail, made first appearances in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, and were released pending further court action. The charges are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：新泽西州 Hackensack 的本根县法院大楼。图片来源：Stephdurante，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons / Photo: Bergen County Court House in Hackensack, New Jersey. Stephdurante, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
