Second Neighbor Corroborates Multiple People at Scene Before Fire

Two neighbors. Two independent witnesses. Both placing multiple people outside Paul Caneiro's Ocean Township home in the early morning hours of November 20, 2018, roughly thirty minutes before anyone called 911.

Jonathan Harrington took the stand today as a prosecution witness. He's a retired crane operator and former volunteer firefighter who has lived at 26 Tilton Drive since 1994. He knew Paul Caneiro and his family for nearly two decades. They were neighbors.

And what he told the jury should trouble anyone who believes the State's theory that Paul acted alone.

This is the second neighbor to place multiple people at the scene before the fire started. The first witness described seeing two men. Now Harrington corroborates that with what he heard: multiple male voices in the darkness, thirty minutes before first responders arrived.

The Prosecution's Problem

The State's entire theory rests on Paul Caneiro acting alone. According to prosecutors, Paul drove eleven miles to his brother Keith's Colts Neck mansion, murdered Keith, Jennifer, and their two children Jesse and Sophia, set a slow-burn fire, drove home, and then set his own house on fire as a "ruse" to make it look like the whole family was being targeted.

One man. Acting alone. In the middle of the night.

But if Paul acted alone, who were the voices Jonathan Harrington heard? Who was the second man the previous witness saw?

These are the State's own witnesses. Called by the prosecution. And their testimony raises a question the prosecution will have to answer: if Paul did this by himself, who else was at that house before the fire?

What Harrington Also Saw

Harrington didn't just hear voices. He also spoke directly with Paul that morning. After the fire trucks arrived, Paul and his family were sitting in their SUV near Harrington's driveway. Harrington walked over to check on them.

He described Paul as "a little nervous" and "kind of upset." And then Paul said something that cuts both ways: he told Harrington he was scared he "almost lost his wife" in the fire.

The same fire prosecutors say Paul set himself.

Is that the reaction of a man who just committed quadruple murder and arson? Or is it the genuine fear of a man whose home was attacked?

I don't know. The jury will have to decide. But what I do know is that two neighbors, independently, are now on record saying multiple people were present before anyone called for help.

▶️ WATCH NOW Neighbor Heard Voices Outside Murder Suspect's Home 30 Minutes Before Fire

The Question That Won't Go Away

Paul Caneiro is charged with four counts of first-degree murder. He's been in jail for over seven years awaiting trial. The prosecution has DNA evidence, ballistics, financial motive, and security footage they say proves his guilt.

But they also have two witnesses who undermine their "acted alone" theory. And those witnesses came from their own witness list.

If Paul Caneiro murdered his brother's entire family by himself, who were the voices in the darkness?

The defense hasn't even started their case yet. And already, the prosecution's timeline has company it can't explain.