Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on January 3, 2025, at approximately 5:50 p.m., the Lacey Township Police and Fire Departments were dispatched for a reported structure fire on Signal Street. First Responders discovered a male outside of the structure, later identified as the homeowner, Edward Teixeira, 75, suffering from serious burns to his body. Mr. Teixeira was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment of his injuries; he succumbed to those injuries on January 4, 2025.
A thorough and extensive investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Lacey Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office, revealed that the origin of the fire was at the front exterior entrance on the south side of the structure. The cause of the fire remains undetermined, but accidental causes cannot be ruled out.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Lacey Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Lacey Township Police Department, and New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office, for their combined and cooperative efforts in connection with this investigation.