MILLTOWN — A 50-year-old borough woman has been charged with setting fire to her house.
Karen Piciullo, who resided at 39 Pershing Ave., was charged on Sept. 6 with aggravated arson and criminal mischief. Bail was set at $150,000, according to a statement prepared by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief Brian Knelle of the Milltown Police Department.
Piciullo was charged during an investigation by Lt. Christopher Johnson of the Milltown Police Department, and Sgt. Wayne Canastra and Detective Nicholas Chiorello of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. They were assisted by Deputy Fire Marshal James Rinker and Deputy Fire Marshal Scott Volkmann of the Middlesex County Fire Marshal’s Office.
During the investigation, it was determined that Piciullo allegedly set the fire around 5:24 a.m. on Sept. 5, according to the statement. The fire destroyed the entire 1½-story house and resulted in the death of a dog.
The Milltown Fire Department and North Brunswick Fire Department assisted with gaining control of the blaze and preventing it from spreading to nearby houses, officials said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Johnson at 732-828-1100 or Chiorello at 732-745-3848.