89 Passaic Street, Garfield, NJ
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 25-year-old ALLISON G. GUTIERREZ-TUESTA of Passaic, NJ on charges of aggravated arson, arson, and failure to report a fire. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck and the Garfield Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard M. Uram.
On Sunday, April 28, 2024, at approximately 10:35 a.m., the Garfield Police Department and Fire Department responded to a fire at 89 Passaic Street, Apartment 2, in Garfield. Following their initial response and fire suppression efforts, the Garfield Police Department and Fire Department notified the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad that the fire appeared suspicious in nature. Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad and Garfield Police Department initiated a joint investigation that revealed ALLISON G. GUTIERREZ-TUESTA intentionally set fire to the apartment in two separate locations, and then fled the area without notifying the authorities of the fire.
As a result of the investigation, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, ALLISON GUTIERREZ-TUESTA was arrested in Garfield, NJ and charged with second-degree aggravated arson, N.J.S.A. 2C:17-1a(2); third-degree arson, N.J.S.A. 2C:17-1b(2); and fourth-degree endangering the life of another and failure to take responsible measure to put out or control a fire, N.J.S.A. 2C:17-1c(1). GUTIERREZ-TUESTA was remanded to Bergen County Jail pending her first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the Garfield Police Department and the Garfield Fire Department for their assistance in this investigation.