Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of BRANDON MCGARRELL (DOB: 12/18/1998; single; factory worker) of 89 Essex Street, Apartment 4, Hackensack, NJ on a charge of Arson. The arrest is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff Anthony Cureton, and the Hackensack Police Department under the direction of Officer in Charge Captain Darrin DeWitt.
On May 29, 2021, at approximately 9:17 a.m., the Hackensack Police Department received a report of a fire at 95 Essex Street. Upon arrival, officers were advised that the fire was extinguished, but it was intentionally set by an unknown male who then fled the scene. At that time, the police contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit. The ensuing investigation revealed that the fire was set by the defendant, BRANDON MCGARRELL.
As a result of an investigation, BRANDON MCGARRELL was arrested and charged with one count of Aggravated Arson, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:17-1a(1), a 2nd degree crime. He was transported to Bergen New Bridge Medical Center pending his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.