ROSELLE PARK — A Roselle Park woman accused earlier this year of setting fire to her apartment and leaving her 2-year-old daughter unattended inside has been indicted, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park announced today.
Murlande Colin, 27, is charged with second-degree aggravated arson and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
The date was July 9 when the building superintendent of the Woodside Gardens apartment complex in Roselle Park called 911 after spotting smoke coming out of Colin’s home. Before the arrival of first responders, the superintendent and two passersby entered the apartment unit and found the young victim alone in a bedroom, next to a bed where a hot iron was left smoldering atop of a pile of clothing.
The toddler was rushed to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. The superintendent also discovered smoldering clothes and other flammable items on top of a lit stove in the smoke-filled kitchen of the apartment unit.
Authorities located Colin in a nearby town several hours later, and a subsequent investigation determined that she had set the fire and left the scene. She is facing a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.