Following a fire at a Bayer executive’s New Jersey home earlier this month, at least eight agencies—including the Federal Bureau of Investigation—are now looking into the blaze as a possible arson.
The fire originally broke out around 7:30 a.m. on March 4 at an “occupied residence” in the New Jersey borough of Madison, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office told multiple news outlets this week. The local fire department was able to quickly put out the fire, with minimal damage to the building and no injuries to the home’s occupants, NBC News wrote on Thursday.
While the prosecutor’s office declined to identify the residents of the home where the fire occurred, Bayer confirmed with Fierce Pharma that “[a]n incident occurred at the private home of one of Bayer’s U.S. executives,” without naming the person or their role.
The executive and their family are “safe and unharmed,” and the safety and security of Bayer employees is of “utmost importance” to the company, a Bayer spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Friday.
“The incident is under active investigation,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company is “cooperating fully with the investigation” and appreciates the quick work of local law enforcement on the case.
According to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the case is now considered an active and ongoing arson investigation by the office’s arson and environmental crimes unit, the Madison Police, the FBI, and several other agencies, NBC, CNN and ABC News reported this week.
No arrests have been made in connection with the investigation, ABC noted in its reporting.
While details on what exactly went down at the Bayer executive’s Madison home are slim, the incident once again raises safety concerns for biopharma and healthcare leaders that were thrust into the spotlight following the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4.
In the aftermath of the killing—which has been widely characterized as a statement criticizing the U.S. healthcare and insurance industries—many people commiserated online about their negative healthcare experiences rather than sympathizing with Thompson, with some going so far as to celebrate or joke about the CEO’s death.
Shortly after the killing, 26-year-old Maryland native Luigi Mangione was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, plus two counts of second-degree murder, in connection with his alleged role in the attack.
Given the high-profile nature of Thompson’s death and the vitriolic public response, many companies in healthcare and beyond are taking a second look at their safety and security protocols, Glen Kucera, president of enhanced protection services at the global security firm Allied Universal, told Fierce Healthcare in an interview shortly after the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder last year.
Among several large U.S. drugmakers, security—especially for CEOs—has certainly factored into their executive payment plans.
Last year, Moderna shelled out nearly $1 million in “security costs” for its CEO Stéphane Bancel while Johnson & Johnson allotted $102,779 to provide “personal and home security services” for its helmsman, Joaquin Duato.