Prosecutor: Holmdel, NJ man set off 4 Molotov cocktails in Hazlet

A 24-year-old Holmdel man has been accused of setting off homemade, Molotov cocktail explosive devices on three separate nights last week in the same Hazlet parking lot.

Brendan J. Dunne was charged with four counts of third-degree possession of a destructive device, as well as disorderly conduct, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.

Hazlet Police responded to a report of a fire in the parking lot of the Costco and Cinemark movie theater complex along Route 35 on July 19 around 10 p.m.

After extinguishing the fire, a responding officer found what appeared to be the source of the flames, a glass bottle with charred pieces of cardboard inside.

Similar fires were then ignited at the same place on Wednesday and two on Thursday, Linskey said.

Holmdel Township Police and detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office worked with Hazlet Police, identifying Dunne as a suspect before his arrest.

He was being held in Monmouth County jail as of Sunday, pending a detention hearing.

If convicted, Dunne faces up to 5 years of prison on each of the third-degree charges.