Colts Neck Fire: Brother Charged With Arson, More Details Emerge About Quadruple Homicide

The brother of the man who was found dead outside his Colts Neck home yesterday has been charged with aggravated arson. Paul J. Caneiro, 51, was arrested and placed into custody at Monmouth County jail for attempting to burn down his own house in Ocean Township, New Jersey. His wife and children were inside at the time of the arson attempt, it is believed.

According to USA Today, Paul Caneiro allegedly tried to burn down his Tilton Drive home “using gasoline and igniting the gasoline causing the residence to catch fire while his wife and two daughters were inside.” None of his family were reported injured as a result of the blaze. Paul is set to appear in court in relation to the arson charge on Wednesday, November 28, according to WABC.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, this blaze was one of two that occurred on the same day to members of the same family. The second blaze occurred in Colts Neck, New Jersey. Paul’s brother, Kevin Caneiro, 50, was found outside the premises with a gunshot wound to the back of his head, according to the New York Post.

Inside, Kevin’s wife, Jennifer Caneiro, 45, was found dead, along with their two children. It has since been reported by the New York Post that their children have been identified as Sophia Caneiro, 8, and Jesse Caneiro, 11. Jennifer, Sophia, and Jesse have also been identified as having stab wounds. Although, their cause of death has not been officially released yet.

WABC states that authorities believe the two house fires are connected. Although, they have yet to publicly announce the link.

Paul Caneiro, brother of the man found dead along with his family in their Colts Neck mansion, was arrested and taken into custody on charges stemming from another suspicious fire at his home early Tuesday. https://t.co/9Psv3l4iir pic.twitter.com/ESctCSItKb

— ABC News (@ABC) November 21, 2018

What is known so far is that fire broke out on Tuesday on Kevin and Jennifer’s $1.5 million Colts Neck home more than seven hours after the initial blaze at Paul Caneiro’s Ocean Township home. Fire crews were able to contain the blaze at Ocean Township and no casualties were reported. However, the blaze at Colts Neck was much more substantial and the fire crew was still on hand at 4:30 p.m. after arriving at the scene at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Paul and Kevin are brothers and were in business together. NBC Philadelphia states that Kevin was the “CEO and chief technology officer for a company in the New York City area called Square One.” Paul Caneiro also worked for the same firm and is listed on LinkedIn as the vice president for the company. It is also believed that the brothers co-owned the Colts Neck mansion.

USA Today has stated that “a candlelight vigil in remembrance of the Caneiro family is planned for 5 p.m. tonight at Colts Neck town hall.”