Local Man Charged with Aggravated Arson in Ocean County
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October 16, 2025Local Man Charged with Aggravated Arson in Ocean County
Local Man Charged with Aggravated Arson in Ocean County
On October 15, 2025, >Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Taquan Shelton, 43, of Lacey Township, was charged with Aggravated Arson in relation to an event that took place in Lacey Township on that same day.
The Lacey Township Police and Fire Departments were called to a residence on Hillwood Road at around 1:05 p.m. on October 15, 2025, in response to a complaint of a residential fire. When emergency workers arrived, they found that the house's furnishings was on fire, which they were able to put out.
A thorough investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Lacey Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigations Unit, New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office K-9 Unit, and Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, revealed that the origin of the fire was a couch and ottoman located in the living room, and the cause of the fire was incendiary by an unknown person using an open flame to ignitable liquid.
Further investigation led to the identification of Shelton - a renter of the residence – as the individual responsible for setting the fire. Shelton was taken into custody at Lacey Township Police . He was transported to the Ocean County Jail where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
