Michael Pillar was arrested and charged with cooking meth in his rented room at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. Mr. Pillar was charged with criminal mischief, possession of methamphetamine, and maintaining a drug production facility.
The meth lab was discovered after the bed in the suspect's room caught on fire. The fire was discovered by a hotel employee who walked by the room and noticed smoke coming from under the door. The employee triggered the fire alarm, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and quickly had the fire under control.
The only room that suffered damage was the suspect's room on the 44th floor of the West tower. 3 other floors were evacuated for safety reasons while the smoke was vented from the building.
Police say Mr. Pillar and four other people were caught on video surveillance entering and leaving the room frequently during their stay.
The New Jersey State Police hazardous-materials team was tasked with removing the meth lab and clearing the hotel of all dangerous chemicals that go into the production of the illegal drug.
The general manager of the Tropicana, Steve Callender said only a few rooms were affected by the blaze and all the rooms will be professionally inspected and back online within the day.
Callender added: "The Safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority at the Tropicana Atlantic City.
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