Man Charged With Attempted Murder In Collingswood House Fire: PD

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — A homeless man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and arson in connection with a home invasion and house fire in Collingswood that occurred over the weekend, authorities announced.

Bernard Miller, 36, has also been charged in two home burglaries that happened in Collingswood one day earlier, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Collingswood Police Chief Kevin Carey.

Miller is accused of breaking into a home on the 200 block of Crestmont Terrace on Sunday afternoon. Authorities said he tied one resident up, attacked the other, demanded money and set the house on fire before he left. Read more here: Man Attacked Collingswood Residents, Set Home On Fire: Police

One of the home’s residents told police they heard a commotion in the backyard. When they opened her back door, they found Miller wandering around, according to an affidavit of probable cause provided by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.

They knew there was construction going on next door, and that workers were always around, so they offered Miller a glass of water. As Miller went into the home, he put on gloves and a face mask and pulled out a knife, according to authorities.

The man who lives in the home attempted to fight Miller off, but Miller stabbed him repeatedly in the face, neck and head, according to authorities. Miller then dragged the man to the bathroom and tied him up, authorities said. He then tied up the woman using a cord while threatening her with a knife and demanding money, authorities said. She told him there was money in her purse.

Miller then set the home on fire by lighting several toilet paper rolls found in different areas of the house on fire, according to authorities. The woman was able to escape and call 911. Arriving officers and firefighters rescued the man from the home, according to authorities.

One of the victims described the attacker, and police released two sets of images of a person of interest in both this attack and two home invasions that happened in Collingswood on Saturday. Read more here: Police Release More Photos Of Man In Collingswood Burglaries

Detectives were then able to track Miller to a homeless shelter in Camden. Surveillance footage showed him entering the shelter in clothes that matched the clothes the man in the images was wearing, authorities said.

Detectives said items that were reportedly stolen from a home on the 400 block of Champion Avenue on Saturday were found in his backpack. This included a silver Alex and Annie bracelet, two silver rings and a gold necklace.

That burglary happened about an hour and a half after a burglary on Virginia Avenue, in which the homeowner came home to find Miller had broken into their house, police said.

Miller was arrested and charged with one count of attempted murder, two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree aggravated arson, one count of second-degree burglary, one count of second-degree aggravated assault, two counts of criminal restraint, one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count of third-degree burglary. He was taken to Camden County Jail pending a pretrial detention hearing.

An online fundraiser for the arson victims had raised nearly $10,000 as of Friday morning.

“They both survived the initial trauma, though he is still not out of the woods,” the man’s parents said in the post. “The home and contents is pretty much a total loss. There will be lost wages while they recover and the need to replace the most basic essentials. Please help them rebuild.”

To donate to the fundraiser, visit gofundme.com.