Arson investigation underway after a Bayer executive’s home catches fire
A North American headquarters building of German-based Bayer is in Whippany
By Holly Yan, CNN
(CNN) — At least eight agencies are investigating a recent fire at a Bayer executive’s New Jersey home as a possible arson, authorities said.
The fire happened around 7:30 a.m. March 4 “at an occupied residence on East Lane in Madison,” the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office told CNN on Thursday.
“The fire was quickly extinguished by the Madison Fire Department. The structure sustained no significant damage and there were no reported injuries. The victim will not be identified.”
Bayer confirmed an incident happened “at the private home of one of Bayer’s U.S. executives,” the global pharmaceutical company said in a statement to CNN.
“The family is safe and unharmed. The safety and security of our employees are of utmost importance to Bayer. The incident is under active investigation. The company is cooperating fully with the investigation. We appreciate the quick response of local law enforcement.”
The prosecutor’s office said the case is “an active and ongoing arson investigation by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson/Environmental Crimes Unit, Madison Police, Morris County Sheriff’s Office CSI Unit, New Jersey State Fire Marshals Office K-9 Unit, NJ Transit Police, MTA Police Department, NYPD, and FBI.”
The fire happened three months after United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down on his way to an investors’ conference in Manhattan.
Since then, many companies have ramped up security for their executives.
Bayer, a biomedical and pharmaceutical behemoth, makes drugs such as aspirin, Claritin and Aleve.
In recent years, the company has come under heightened scrutiny after it acquired agrochemical giant Monsanto in 2018. Monsanto is the maker of Roundup, a popular herbicide used by homeowners and farmers alike.
Thousands of cancer patients or their estates have sued, saying Roundup gave them non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
In 2020, Bayer settled lawsuits from cancer patients in a $10 billion agreement. Bayer said the settlement agreements “contain no admission of liability or wrongdoing.”
The-CNN-Wire
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