Paterson woman charged with arson in Cianci Street fire
By Jonathan Greene
Published: August 13, 2020
A city woman has been arrested and charged with arson in the large fire that displaced dozens of people and badly damaged a large mixed-use building on Cianci Street, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Yanit Valdez, 37-year-old, was arrested on Thursday and charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated arson and four counts of third-degree aggravated assault.
Valdez is allegedly responsible for the August 3 fire that engulfed 40 Cianci Street. 60 people were displaced from the multi-unit apartment building. Several businesses that were housed in the lower floor sustained damaged.
Four firefighters and one civilian were injured.
Valdez could face 20 years in state prison for the aggravated arson charges and another 20 years for the aggravated assault charges.