Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL INDICTED IN AUTO ARSON, FACES TEN YEAR SENTENCE

WilkinsPrincipal Terence Wilkins

Red Bank Middle School Principal Terence Wilkins has been indicted by an Essex County grand jury in connection with a scheme to have his leased car stolen and torched, the Asbury Park Press is reporting.

From the story:

Wilkins, 34, of Neptune, is scheduled to surrender to authorities and appear in court on Friday, said Paul Loriquet, prosecutor’s office spokesman.

The car, a 2004 Acura TL, was found ablaze in the Barringer High School parking lot in Newark shortly before midnight on April 19, 2006, by Newark firefighters, said Michael Morris, assistant Essex County prosecutor. Wilkins had reported the car stolen in Neptune on April 20, 2006.

The car was on a three-year lease and had six payments remaining, however, Morris said that Wilkins was facing a $9,000 charge for excess mileage. The scheme was allegedly concocted with Kenyatta O’Bryant, 36, of North Plainfield, who is believed to be a childhood friend of Wilkins, Loriquet said.

“It looks like an arrangement for a fee of $600, he got the vehicle destroyed. It’s unclear who was hired to do it, but they concocted the scheme,” Loriquet said. “The insurance claim was denied, and we were already pursuing it.”

If convicted, Wilkins faces up to 10 years in prison, as does O’Bryant.

Wilkins, whose salary is $111,992, is not at work today and a supervisor who is a certified principal is filling in for him, said Laura C. Morana, superintendent of schools, who added the main issue is to make sure the school continues to function without interruption. The borough Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Monday about Wilkins.

“We were surprised. We had no idea this was going on,” Morana said. “We met with the faculty this morning and a letter will be mailed to the families and we’ll speak to the children.”

Wilkins has been with the borough schools for seven years, the last four as principal, and was named Educator of the Year by a community group.

Here’s the press release on the case from Prosecutor Paula Dow’s office:

NEWS RELEASE
OFFICE OF THE ESSEX COUNTY PROSECUTOR
PAULA T. DOW, Essex County Prosecutor

For Immediate Release
Monday, April 28, 2008

North Plainfield Man Indicted For Arson and Insurance Fraud
Essex County Prosecutor Paula T. Dow today announced that a North Plainfield man was arraigned in court this
morning after a six-count indictment was returned by an Essex County Grand Jury charging him and a codefendant
with arranging to set a leased vehicle on fire to collect insurance proceeds in order to avoid paying more than
$9,000 in mileage penalties.

Kenyatta O’Bryant, 36, was charged with second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, second-degree
aggravated arson, third-degree conspiracy to commit theft by deception, third-degree attempted theft by deception,
second-degree conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and second-degree insurance fraud. Essex County Superior
Court Judge Harold Fullilove set bail at $25,000 cash or bond. If convicted of the charges, O’Bryant faces up to 10
years in prison. Codefendant Terrance Wilkins, 34, of Neptune is expected to be arraigned Friday, May 2. He faces
similar charges.

According to Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Morris, in April 2006, O’Bryant concocted a scheme
with Wilkins to destroy a 2004 Acura TL. With only six payments remaining on his three-year lease and facing
high mileage penalties, Wilkins along with O’Bryant had his vehicle torched. Newark Fire Department found the
vehicle ablaze inside the Barringer High School parking lot in Newark shortly before midnight on April 19, 2006.
Wilkins had reported the vehicle stolen from Neptune on April 20. Detectives from the Essex County Arson Task
Force/Vehicle Fire Initiative determined the cause of the fire to be arson. Clarendon Insurance Company of Saddle
Brook denied the insurance claim.

Prosecutor Dow commended Detective Marlin Bullock of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Arson Task Force/Vehicle
Fire Initiative with the investigation.

These criminal charges are mere accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of
law.

Email this story

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...