A man who police say set a South Jersey restaurant ablaze on purpose as people dined inside is in jail Sunday morning, and police are thanking the public and NBC10 for helping them track down the suspect.
Medford Township Police posted on the department's Facebook page Sunday morning that Craig Muehleisen Jr. was arrested Saturday in connection with the July 20 arson at Tarantella Ristorante, on Route 70 in Medford.
Police said Muehleisen and his accomplices first tried to use stolen, forged prescriptions to obtain drugs from a CVS near the restaurant. During that crime, police say, Muehleisen fled the pharmacy into the restaurant and lit the remaining phony prescriptions on fire in a bathroom, sparking a blaze.
The police department obtained a warrant for the man July 27 charging him with aggravated arson, tampering with evidence and a slew of related offenses. His bail was set at $120,000, and he remained on the lam until Saturday, when officers captured him.
"Medford Township Police would like to thank the public and NBC for their assistance with this case," police wrote in the Facebook post announcing Muehleisen's arrest.
