NJ firefighter charged with setting fire he helped put out

HAMILTON (Atlantic)  — A firefighter was charged with setting a fire that he helped put out in August.

Matthew Hesser, 35, of Vineland, called 911 to report the shed fire on Aug. 16 at a home on West Point Avenue in the Mizpah section of Hamilton. He responded with other members of the Mizpah fire company, according to Hamilton police.

He was identified as a suspect during the investigation into what caused the fire. On Thursday, Hesser was charged with arson and criminal mischief, both third-degree crimes, for intentionally starting the fire. He was released on a summons pending his first court appearance.

The Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company also posted on Facebook that someone had created a bogus page and harassed their chief and other department members.

The fake page features a picture of Hesser with the captions "believe in something, even if it means getting arrested."

According to his Facebook page, Hesser attended the Gloucester County Fire Academy and was a former special vehicle mechanic for the U.S. Air Force at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ