A 42-year-old Lyndhurst man, who has had almost three dozen encounters with the Lyndhurst Police Department since Aug. 28, is behind bars after he is alleged to have set fire to an apartment, all while live streaming the incident on Facebook Live.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of Alexander Pluchino, 42, of Lyndhurst, on charges of aggravated arson, arson, risk of widespread injury or damage, criminal mischief and failure to control or report a fire. The arrest was the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Chief Matthew Finck and the Lyndhurst Police Department and Chief Richard L. Jarvis Jr.
Here’s how it all went down, according to Musella:
On Sept. 30, 2025, at approximately 8:25 a.m., the Lyndhurst Police and Fire departments responded to a fire at 522 Valley Brook Ave. Upon arrival, first responders observed fire in the common stairwell of the multi-family apartment building.
Arriving police officers — first arriving Officer Michael Walker, current 2nd Assistant Fire Chief; Lt. Steve Passamano, former fire chief; and Capt. Paul Haggerty, also a fire chief — made entry through the thick smoke to remove Pluchino after knocking down.
Following fire suppression efforts by Lyndhurst firefighters and police, the Lyndhurst FD notified the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad.
Detectives from the Arson Squad, along with investigators from the Bergen County Arson Task Force, responded to the scene and initiated a joint investigation with the Lyndhurst Police Department. The investigation revealed Pluchino, the resident removed by the responding police officers, intentionally set fire to cardboard, along with other debris, in the common stairwell of 522 Valley Brook Ave.
As a result of the investigation, Pluchino was charged with second-degree aggravated arson, fourth-degree creating a risk of widespread injury or damage, fourth-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree failure to take responsible measure to put out, control, or report a fire.
Pluchino was remanded to the Bergen County Jail, pending his first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.
Meanwhile, it appears the entire incident was livestreamed on Facebook.
The video appears on a Facebook page bearing Pluchino’s name and is about 24 minutes in length. As the video begins, he speaks (mumbles) to the camera at first and then, for about 10 minutes, listens to loud music, including songs by DMX and 50 Cent. Moments later, he is seen lighting cardboard and dropping it in or close to a large backpack.
For a few minutes, smoke alarms rang out and Lyndhurst police could be seen entering the apartment with fire extinguishers. A few minutes later, police could be seen removing Pluchino from the apartment while the fire was being knocked down.
“Our hope is that the judicial system serves Pluchino by mandating the appropriate treatment to rehabilitate him from continuing this dangerous behavior,” Haggerty said.
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.