Troubled Resident With Crack Leaves Fire Burning In Cliffside Apartment: Prosecutor

𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Authorities have identified an emotionally troubled tenant who they said deliberately left a fire burning in his Cliffside Park apartment.

Authorities arrested Christopher J. Perez, 40, at his sister's home after the two-alarm blaze was doused in a top-floor unit in the three-story brick building on Palisade Avenue shortly after 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 28, sources told Daily Voice.

He was charged with endangering the lives of others and failing to put out or control a fire, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Monday.

Perez also was charged with possession of crack that the prosecutor said was found in the apartment.

No injuries were reported in the blaze, Musella said, adding that investigators are trying to determine the cause.

238 Palisade Avenue, Cliffside Park

Perez was taken to Bergen New Bridge Medical Center for an evaluation, he said.

A first appearance will be scheduled in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack once he's released.

Police and people in the area spotted Perez on the roof over the weekend. Once he was naked. A neighbor took photos.

The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification and borough police detectives collected evidence.

Naked man