Bergen County, NJ – Store-bought materials similar to those used in both the firebombing of a Rutherford rabbi’s home and an attempted arson at a Paramus synagogue were found outside another temple in Bergen County this week, raising the possibility that at least one other attack was planned.
Authorities found the materials left outside the synagogue after questioning Anthony M. Graziano—but before K9 sweeps for “accelerants and flammables” began Wednesday afternoon.
“He wasn’t always riding the bike with these devices,” one of them said. “He would hide [them] at the location and then go back later.”
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A squad of specially trained dogs was dispatched Wednesday afternoon to search for accelerants within a 10-mile radius of Graziano’s home.
“It’s more a matter of putting everybody at ease than anything else,” although there remains an admittedly scant possibility that other “pre-deployed devices” might be found, one of the law enforcement sources told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
The radius was chosen because Graziano doesn’t have a car. Authorities allege he made several trips to and from various targets on his bicycle.
Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced Wednesday afternoon that he requested the sweeps.
In turn, Bergen County Police Lt. James Giblin—who is heading the initiative—called on the sheriffs in Essex and Morris, as well as the state Fire Marshal, through the State Police “Detect and Render Safe Task Force,” to boost the ranks of his specially trained unit and assure in-depth searches.
The team headed by Giblin covered nearly half of 70 listed sites on Wednesday. The investigators were to resume today.
Molinelli said he went public with the information so that if people see the dogs and uniformed officers around, they’ll “be aware of [the] purpose and objective.”
Graziano remains held on $5 million bail in the Bergen County Jail on charges that include several counts of attempted murder following a brief court hearing Wednesday in Hackensack.
