ELMWOOD, NJ – Authorities in Bergen County say a man spray gas from the nozzle of a gas pump and intentionally set a fire after a disagreement with the station clerk.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of GLENN B. WILSON (DOB: 02/08/1984; single; unemployed) of 10 Marshall Street, Apartment 2J, Irvington, NJ on charges of Robbery and Aggravated Arson. The arrest is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and the Elmwood Park Police Department under the direction of Chief Michael Foligno.
On December 14, 2020 at approximately 10:22 a.m., the Elmwood Park Police Department received a report of a fire at the Fuel 4 gas station located at 609 Market Street. Upon arrival, officers were advised that the fire was extinguished, but it had been intentionally set by a patron who then fled the scene. At that time, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit was contacted and an investigation was initiated by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Elmwood Park Police Department.
The ensuing investigation revealed that the fire was set by GLENN B. WILSON following a verbal altercation with the cashier inside the gas station and a verbal altercation with the gas pump attendant. WILSON removed the gas pump nozzle from his vehicle and sprayed gasoline on the ground adjacent to the gas pumps. The attendant then approached the vehicle and observed WILSON enter his vehicle and ignite the gasoline with a lighter prior to fleeing the scene without paying for the gasoline. Immediately after WILSON fled, the attendant retrieved a fire extinguisher and extinguished the fire.
As a result of the investigation, GLENN B. WILSON was arrested and charged with one count of Robbery, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(3), a 1st degree crime; one count of Aggravated Arson, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:17-1a(1), a 2nd degree crime; and one count of Aggravated Arson, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:17-1a(2), a 2nd degree crime. He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing on Wednesday, December 23, 2020 at 9:00 a.m.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would like to thank the Elmwood Park Police Department for its assistance in this investigation.