Police in central New Jersey say a custodian’s cigarette is to blame for a fire that destroyed an elementary school.
Police say the custodian, 48-year-old Jerome Higgins, tossed an unfinished cigarette into a trash can in the janitor’s office Saturday evening, sparking a blaze that gutted the James Monroe Elementary School in Edison.
Higgins has been issued a summons accusing him of smoking in a public building, which is a disorderly persons offense.
Classrooms are being readied at a nearby college for the approximately 500 students displaced by the fire. Classes are to resume Wednesday.
Prosecutors said they have not been told if Higgins has a lawyer yet.
A person who answered the phone at a listing for Higgins in East Brunswick said to call back and leave a message on the answering machine.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
LA County Told to Pause $4B in Abuse Payouts as DA Probes Fraud Claims 
Elon Musk Alone Can’t Explain Tesla’s Owner Exodus 
Cape Cod Faces Highest Snow Risk as New Coastal Storm Forms 
Navigators Can’t Parse ‘Additional Insured’ Policy Wording in Georgia Explosion Case 
Want to stay up to date?
Get the latest insurance news
sent straight to your inbox.