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Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office

Officer Rescuing Victim, Firefighter Hospitalized In Massive Lakewood Blaze: Prosecutor Officer Rescuing Victim, Firefighter Hospitalized In Massive Lakewood Blaze: Prosecutor
Officer Rescuing Victim, Firefighter Hospitalized In Massive Lakewood Blaze: Prosecutor A firefighter, a police officer, and a civilian were hospitalized in a fire in Lakewood caused by improperly discarded smoking material early Saturday, May 4, authorities said. Heavy flames were coming from the front and back of the house on Joe Parker Road when emergency personnel arrived around 1:20 a.m., Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Occupants of the home told responders one person was still inside. A Lakewood police officer successfully rescued him from the home. He was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of his injurie…
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors A Plumsted Township man was accused of intentionally starting two fires in Ocean County, authorities said. Edward Petroni, 41, was charged on Monday, Mar. 4 with two counts of aggravated arson, burglary, and two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. The charges come from two fires in Plumsted and Jackson townships on Friday, Mar. 1. First responders were called to what was described as a "shed fire" near Maple Avenue and Brown Road in Plumsted at around 1:20 p.m. The structure was actually a bus stop …
Propane Tank Caused Home Explosion That Killed 45-Year-Old Jersey Shore Man: Prosecutor Propane Tank Caused Home Explosion That Killed 45-Year-Old Jersey Shore Man: Prosecutor
Propane Tank Caused Home Explosion That Killed 45-Year-Old Jersey Shore Man: Prosecutor A propane tank is to blame for the home explosion that killed a 45-year-old Jersey Shore man on Tuesday, Oct. 31, authorities said. Kevin Thomas, 45, was found on his front lawn of 253 Neptune Dr., with serious burns, and airlifted to Temple Burn Center in Philadelphia after the explosion that turned into a fire ravaged his house, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Thomas died at the hospital, said Billhimer alongside Stafford Township Police Chief Thomas Dellane. The origin of the explosion was the southwest corner bedroom of the home, and that the cause of …
Arsonist Torched Somerset County Home: Prosecutor Arsonist Torched Somerset County Home: Prosecutor
Arsonist Torched Somerset County Home: Prosecutor A 25-year-old man was arrested for intentionally starting a fire at a Somerset County home, authorities announced Tuesday, Aug. 22. Paul Basta, of June Place in Manville, was charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated arson, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said in a joint release. Basta is accused of intentionally setting fire to a Manville home shortly before emergency crews responded around 3:40 a.m. on Monday, May 15. The fire was extinguished by the Manville Fire Department with help from the Manville Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s…
Police ID Teen, Infant, Adults Killed In Ocean County House Fire Police ID Teen, Infant, Adults Killed In Ocean County House Fire
Police ID Teen, Infant, Adults Killed In Ocean County House Fire Authorities have identified the victims of a house fire in Ocean County. Jennifer Wright, 39; Alaina Wright, 34; a 14-year-old girl and a 4-month-old infant were killed in the fire on Tuesday, Aug. 1 in Lacey Township, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. The fire was ruled accidental and may be due to smoking, Billhimer said. "This is an unspeakable tragedy, and our prayers are with the loved ones of these victims,” Billhimer said. At approximately 12:30 p.m., a structure fire with entrapment was reported on Buttonwood Drive in the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey Tow…
4 Killed As Roof Collapses In Ocean County House Fire 4 Killed As Roof Collapses In Ocean County House Fire
4 Killed As Roof Collapses In Ocean County House Fire Four people were killed when a roof collapsed during a house fire in Ocean County, authorities said. On Tuesday, Aug. 1, at approximately 12:30 p.m., a structure fire with entrapment was reported on Buttonwood Drive in the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey Township, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Upon arrival, emergency personnel discovered a fully engulfed two-story structure fire. A female victim was rescued from the rear of the structure. She was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.  There were four additional victims insid…
Suspicious Brush Fire Investigated On Jersey Shore: Prosecutor Suspicious Brush Fire Investigated On Jersey Shore: Prosecutor
Suspicious Brush Fire Investigated On Jersey Shore: Prosecutor A series of small fires is being investigated as suspicious in origin by Ocean County authorities. On Monday, Feb. 20, at approximately 2:20 p.m., the Berkeley Township Police Department and the Beachwood Borough Fire Department responded to a wooded area inside Johnson’s Pit, located in Berkeley Township, for a report of a brush fire.  Emergency personnel discovered and extinguished a small brush fire. An investigation by the Ocean County Fire Marshals Office and New Jersey State Forest Fire Service determined that there were three separate fires, including one&nb…
Jersey Shore Man Sentenced For Setting Fire To House With People  Inside Jersey Shore Man Sentenced For Setting Fire To House With People  Inside
Jersey Shore Man Sentenced For Setting Fire To House With People Inside A 27-year-old man from the Jersey Shore was sentenced to seven years in New Jersey state prison for setting a home on fire, authorities said. Jamal Preston of Egg Harbor Township was sentenced as a result of a previously entered guilty plea to aggravated arson, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.  The sentencing was on Friday, June 3 and included a weapons charge. On August 20, 2020, Preston was involved in an altercation with another individual in the Manitou Park section of Berkeley Township. When Officers from the Berkeley Township Police Department…
Disgruntled Ex-Employee Sets Fire To Former Central Jersey Workplace: Prosecutor Disgruntled Ex-Employee Sets Fire To Former Central Jersey Workplace: Prosecutor
Disgruntled Ex-Employee Sets Fire To Former Central Jersey Workplace: Prosecutor A 25-year-old Toms River man who'd recently been fired from his job set his former workplace on fire early Wednesday morning, authorities said. Jorge Euxaque-Ballesteros has been charged with aggravated arson and burglary following the fire on Cross Street in Lakewood around 2 a.m., Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Lakewood police officers and firefighters responded to the building for a sprinkler system alarm, where they found the fire in the basement of the business. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze. Euxaque-Ballesteros had used an open flam…
South Jersey Man Admits Setting Fire To Occupied Lakewood Home: Prosecutor South Jersey Man Admits Setting Fire To Occupied Lakewood Home: Prosecutor
South Jersey Man Admits Setting Fire To Occupied Lakewood Home: Prosecutor A 27-year-old man from South Jersey admits setting fire to an occupied home on the Jersey Shore, authorities said Jamal Preston, 27, of Egg Harbor Township, admitted to aggravated arson in Lakewood, before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan on Thursday, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Additionally, Preston pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of unlawful possession of a weapon relating to a fight that occurred two days before the fire in Berkeley Township, the prosecutor said. When he is sentenced on Feb. 25, the state is seeking a state prison sent…
Manchester Fire Was 'Intentionally Set': Prosecutor Manchester Fire Was 'Intentionally Set': Prosecutor
Manchester Fire Was 'Intentionally Set': Prosecutor A fire in a vacant structure earlier this week was intentionally set, authorities said. On Tuesday, Manchester police and Manchester Fire Department were dispatched on a report of a fire at a vacant structure on Ridgeway Road. Once the fire was extinguished, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Manchester Township Detective Bureau, were requested to respond to the scene and conduct an examination into the origin and cause of the fire.  The result of the…
82-Year-Old Woman Dead, 2 Police Officers Injured In Jackson House Fire 82-Year-Old Woman Dead, 2 Police Officers Injured In Jackson House Fire
82-Year-Old Woman Dead, 2 Police Officers Injured In Jackson House Fire An 82-year-old woman died, a dog was missing and first responders were injured in a Jackson house fire Thursday night, authorities said. The blaze broke out around 8:45 p.m. at 10 Lehigh Blvd., which was fully engulfed in flames as firefighters responded, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Firefighters found the body of the 82 year-old victim in the downstairs portion of the home, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, Billhimer said. A second victim who jumped from the second story of the home to escape suffered minor injuries and a pet dog had not been accounted f…
Prosecutor: Man Who Torched Lakewood Home With 3 People Inside Charged with Attempted Murder Prosecutor: Man Who Torched Lakewood Home With 3 People Inside Charged with Attempted Murder
Prosecutor: Man Who Torched Lakewood Home With 3 People Inside Charged with Attempted Murder A Jersey Shore man set a Lakewood home ablaze with three people inside, said authorities who charged him with attempted murder. U.S. Marshals captured Jamal Preston, 25, of Egg Harbor Township on Monday and turned him over to local authorities to be charged with four counts of aggravated arson in the Aug. 22 fire on Park Place, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Monday. The occupants got out safely after the 2:30 a.m. blaze spread to the second floor and attic, responders said at the time. Billhimer said his Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad investigated along with the Ocean Coun…