Cops: NJ Woman Seeking Insurance Claim Set Fire that Killed Cat

PEQUANNOCK — A 46-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with setting a house fire in this township in July.

Authorities said Pamela Hankin set fire to her room at a house on Prospect Avenue where she lived with two other people, one of whom was still inside when the blaze broke out.

The fire killed a pet cat and caused so much structural damage to the house, that it was deemed uninhabitable.

Following the blaze, Hankin filed insurance claims.

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Hankin surrendered to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office on Feb. 28 and was charged with three counts of second-degree aggravated arson, third-degree insurance fraud, third-degree endangerment, and animal cruelty.

A Superior Court judge released Hankin from jail pending her trial.