New Jersey college student faces criminal charge of arson

Teenagers do not always make the best decisions. Sometimes, an act which started out as a prank gets out of hand and results in a criminal charge. That may have been the case for an 18-year-old College of Saint Elizabeth student. She has been charged with two counts of arson and banned from the campus.

The incident which gave rise to the charges is said to have occurred in a dormitory bathroom at the Florham Park campus. The New Jersey teenager is accused of igniting two rolls of toilet paper in a fourth floor restroom. Authorities say the bathroom was filled with smoke, though there was no estimate of any property damage and no reports that anyone was injured.

The student must now answer to the criminal accusations filed against her. Her bail has been set at $10,000, and the proceedings are being handled by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. Although it does not appear that there was significant damage, a prosecutor asserted the fire could have gotten out of control and resulted in catastrophe. Further, reference was made to other similar incidents that resulted in injury and death on other campuses across the country, including one tragedy at Seton Hall University in 2000, where three students were killed and close to 60 injured.

A criminal charge is serious under any circumstances. Here, a teenager faces potential responsibility that could impact her college education and her future employment prospects. However, the only side of the story that has been told so far stems from the representations of law enforcement personnel. The burden now is solely upon the prosecution to actually prove the claims it has made, and the teen is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until a New Jersey prosecutor is able to do so. With so much on the line, however, the accused student will need to focus her attention on her criminal defense to protect her rights and seek the best possible outcome.

Source: NBC New York, “College Student Accused of Arson in NJ Dorm,” Nov. 16, 2102