Man Hired Pair To Burn Down Bergen County House, Prosecutor Says

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ — After a Bergen County man hired two Rumson men to burn down a house last year, all three have been arrested, prosecutors said Monday.

Emad E. Gerges, 66, of Upper Saddle River, Anthony V. Coviello, 54, of Rumson, and Joseph Vulpis, 62, of Rumson, have been arrested in connection with the arson-for-hire investigation, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutors say that around 2:23 p.m. on May 16, 2025, the Upper Saddle River Police Department and the Upper Saddle River Fire Department responded to a house fire on Lake Road.

The house was engulfed in flames, prosecutors said.

Firefighters had to request tankers from other departments because of the lack of hydrants in the area, the Upper Saddle River Fire Department said at the time.

The cause and origin of the fire were classified as undetermined, prosecutors say.

But on April 27 of this year, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad received information from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Rumson Police Department about the incident, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors and police from Bergen and Monmouth counties investigated.

They determined that Gerges hired Coviello and Vulpis to set fire to the home.

Detectives determined that both men entered the house on May 16 and used a homemade ignitor and accelerant to set fire to the attic of the home.

On Oct. 2, Coviello was arrested at his home in Rumson. The same day, Vulpis turned himself in to the Englishtown Police Department.

Coviello and Vulpis were each charged with first-degree arson for hire, second-degree aggravated arson, second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, third-degree arson, third-degree criminal mischief, and fourth-degree failure to control or report a fire.

Gerges was arrested this past Friday and charged with first-degree arson for hire and second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated arson.

All three men were taken to the Bergen County Jail.

Gerges made an appearance in Superior Court and has been released to await further court action.

A real estate listing describes the house as a "burn out home," meaning it's heavily damaged. The house sold for $825,000 in June.