By STEVE LIEBERMAN AND SULAIMAN BEG
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: April 11, 2006)

NEW SQUARE — Hillcrest firefighters have filed a criminal complaint claiming they had cornered two boys they believed were setting fires, but a village official helped them escape, saying they were involved in a religious ritual.

Fire officials also told police that New Square residents gathered and became hostile to firefighters Sunday evening as they tried to follow the two boys, according to the complaint.

The complaint, which seeks a criminal charge against the New Square official, was filed with Ramapo police.

The confrontation marked the latest dispute between the Hillcrest Fire Department and the Hasidic Jewish village. Fire officials have long complained about large trash-bin fires, young men setting blazes and dangerous buildings and conditions for fighting fires in the village.

New Square leaders yesterday said the children were not setting fires but were burning non-kosher food in a religious preparation for Passover's start tomorrow.

Deputy Mayor Israel Spitzer said the children were burning challah bread and were supervised by adults. He said firefighters had been called to another fire and noticed the fire on Bush Lane as they were leaving.

Spitzer described the fire as a "very, very minor fire ... less than a grill in your backyard."

"Maybe they were frustrated for some reason," Spitzer said. "They jumped out in a rush as if there was a terrible situation. And they handled it without control. They overreacted."

Ramapo Detective Lt. Brad Weidel yesterday said the department would investigate. Fire officials met with police Sunday night. Weidel said he planned to meet with New Square officials after Passover.

"We're trying to sort everything out," Weidel said.

The fire officials are seeking a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of governmental administration against the New Square official.

Weidel blacked out the 38-year-old man's name when providing a copy of the complaint. He said the man had not been charged.

The complaint was filed by 2nd Assistant Chief Kim Weppler and Molston Fire District Commissioner Herb Silverstein.

According to the complaint, after dousing a fire on Jefferson Avenue, firefighters saw two boys lighting fires between two houses on Bush Lane. The firefighters surrounded the boys and called Ramapo police.

The unnamed community official told the firefighters that the boys were involved in a religious rite and told the boys to go home.

Weppler and other firefighters attempted to follow the boys, but they got away.

In the meantime, "a large group of residents was forming and becoming hostile towards the firemen," the report quoted Weppler as telling the police.

"According to Weppler, the residents were telling the firemen to leave the village," the report stated.

Spitzer said a crowd formed because many children and adults felt confused and intimated by the firefighters.

"The relationship is fine on our end," Spitzer said of the firefighters. "I want to stress that we are very, very concerned about the safety of our residents. Our No. 1 priority is to make sure no one gets injured in a fire situation."

Last year, the Hillcrest Fire Department, which covers the village, responded to 69 calls — 33 of which were for fires.

Rockland Fire and Emergency Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. said since an article last month in The Journal News detailed firefighters' safety concerns, he had noticed an increase in trash-bin fires in the village. <* dir=rtl style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px">

Wren said that while he visited the village last week he was speaking with a village official and in his rearview mirror saw a 6-foot-high fire coming out of a 40-yard trash bin.

"It's a bad situation," Wren said. "Someone is responsible for starting the fires. It's kind of like harassment of the firefighters." <* dir=rtl style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0px">

Spitzer said village residents were aware of the article and had "made special efforts to make sure that no one takes the law in their own hands and that nobody responds with any false alarms or other ways to get the fire department aggravated."

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