Friend of Firefighter Charged With Arson Describes Him as Caring, Helpful

Ryan Taylor remembers , the Parsippany firefighter charged with arson, as a dedicated mentor to students in the Morris County Sheriff's Office Explorer Program, which guided youth who were interested in a law enforcement career.

"He made it a point to help anyone who needed extra help,'' said Taylor 21, who joined the group when he was 16, and was named the National Law Enforcement Explorer Youth Representative in 2008.

"From that I could tell, he was a good officer. If you had a serious problem, he could help you work through it. I wouldn't expect this from him. It's very upsetting,'' said Taylor who grew up in Parsippany and now lives in Montville.

But according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Campbell, a Morris County Sheriff's Officer who helped supervise the explorers, allegedly used his relationship with a youth in the program to coerce the student into setting a fire.

of arson, burglary and official misconduct after the prosecutor's office accused him of using "incendiary devices'' to set two Parsippany fires, one at a garage in 2008 and another at a vacant home in 2010.

As acting captain of Parsippany Fire District No. 5 at the time of each of the fires, Campbell helped extinguish both blazes. No one was injured in either of the fires.

People who knew Campbell say they were stunned by the news of the charges aginst him. Instead, they saw Campbell as a loyal friend and caring law enforcement official.

Bryan Pallish, who graduated with Campbell from Parsippany High School in 1996 and was a fellow District 5 firefighter, described him as someone who went out of his way to help others.

"I have known him all my life,'' said Pallish, who is currently serving in the Navy. "He has always been a great kid and friend to me and my family. He is the type of guy that will watch your back and be there for you and help you at a drop of a dime. I cannot believe what is going on and that he is being accused for this crime. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.''

Campbell, whose e-mail address is listed on the Parsippany High School  alumni page as "got357mag,'' comes from a family that has deep roots in the township.

His father, Robert Campbell Sr, is a fire commissioner in District 5 and works as a supervisor in the township sewer department. His brother, Pat Campbell, is employed as a sanitation worker in the department of public works.

In 1992, Robert Campbell Sr. was involved in a fire drill that went awry when he ignited a sofa inside a bus at an "unused portion" of the Parsippany Sewage Treatment Plant property on Edwards Road, according to a state report issued that year. Three firefighters suffered burn injuries in the drill, according to the Firefighter Injury Report released by the Bureau of Fire Safety.

According to the report, such drills were banned by the state unless the Department of Enviornmental Protection granted a permit. But none was sought by firefighters who planned the drill.