Police say NJ teens started Barnegat house fire using a flare gun

BARNEGAT — A pair of 18-year-olds has been accused of starting a fire by shooting a flare gun into a township house last weekend.

Kaele Principato, of Barnegat Township, and Lucas Pyle, of Egg Harbor City, were each charged with aggravated arson and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, following the incident on Saturday.

Around 2:50 p.m. that afternoon, Barnegat Township police and fire were called to a residential fire at home on Schooner Avenue.

First responders found that residents of the home managed to put out the fire before they arrived.

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Teens shot flare gun into Barnegat window, cops say

Investigators from the municipal and county levels found that the fire had started in the living room, by a flare gun shot through a window.

Flames began in some curtains, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.

Principato and Pyle had fled before police arrived on Saturday, but were tracked down by investigators.

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It was not publicly disclosed by Billhimer’s office whether they previously knew the residents in the home.

Principato and Pyle were both taken into custody at Barnegat Township police headquarters on Monday.

They were being held at Ocean County Jail, pending a detention hearing.

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