Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on March 27, 2026, Tashaun Normand, 42, of Bronx, New York, was charged with two counts of Aggravated Arson and two counts of Possession of Destructive Devices in connection with an incident that occurred in South Toms River on March 23, 2026.
On March 23, 2026, at approximately 3:15 p.m., Officers from the South Toms River Police Department and Manitou Park Fire Company responded to a residence on Belmont Drive for a report of a vehicle fire. First Responders observed a fire in the interior of a 2010 GMC Terrain, as well as a separate fire on a grassy area adjacent to the residence; the fires were subsequently extinguished. Officers also observed a broken glass bottle, and a second glass bottle which contained an unknown liquid with a torn rag placed inside consistent with a Molotov cocktail.
A subsequent investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, South Toms River Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that the origin of the fire was the front windshield of the Terrain, and the cause of the fire was incendiary by an unknown person utilizing an open flame to available combustibles. Further investigation revealed that Normand was the individual responsible for making the Molotov cocktails and throwing them at the motor vehicle and in the direction of the residence. Normand was taken into custody in Monroe County Tennessee by the Tennessee Highway Patrol without incident on March 30, 2026. Normand is currently lodged in the Monroe County Tennessee Jail pending his extradition to New Jersey.
Prosecutor Billhimer commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, South Toms River Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene investigation Unit, and Tennessee Highway Patrol for their combined and collective efforts in connection with this investigation.
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.
R.P.C. 3.6(b)(6).