Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on February 25, 2025, Juliette Tournier, 29, of Montgomery, Pennsylvania, was charged with Aggravated Arson in connection with an incident that occurred in Surf City on February 19, 2025. This charge is in addition to charges filed against Tournier in Ship Bottom on February 20, 2025 for Eluding and Receiving Stolen Property.
On February 19, 2025, at approximately 8:40 p.m., the Surf City Police and Fire Departments were dispatched for a report of a structure fire on North Central Avenue. During the course of fire suppression efforts, a firefighter sustained injuries; the firefighter was transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford Township, where he was treated for his injuries and subsequently released.
A thorough and extensive investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Surf City Police Department, and Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, revealed that there were two separate locations of origin for the fire – one upstairs and one downstairs. Detectives further determined that in both cases, the cause of the fire was incendiary by an unknown person utilizing an open flame to ignitable liquids.
While investigating the fire, Detectives discovered that on February 19, 2025, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Officers from the Ship Bottom Police Department attempted to effectuate a motor vehicle stop on a Honda HRV that was traveling westbound on Route 72. The driver of the vehicle pulled over and stopped at the top of a bridge. The Officer approached the vehicle and asked the driver, later identified as Tournier, to drive over the bridge so that a safe motor vehicle stop could be conducted. When the Officer attempted to effectuate the motor vehicle stop further up the road, the Honda sped off and failed to pull over. For safety reasons, the Officer terminated the pursuit. A subsequent investigation into the incident revealed that earlier in the day, the license plate attached to the eluding vehicle had been stolen from a similar Honda in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Detectives were able to identify Tournier as the individual who stole the license plate. On February 20, 2025, Tournier was charged with Eluding and Receiving Stolen Property. A warrant was issued for her arrest, and her name was entered into the National Crime Information Center database.
Continuing investigation revealed that Tournier was also the individual responsible for setting the fires at the residence in Surf City on February 19, 2025. As such, Tournier was charged with Aggravated Arson on February 25, 2025. On February 26, 2025, Tournier surrendered herself to the Surf City Police Department; she was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where she is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
Prosecutor Billhimer commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Surf City Police Department, Ship Bottom Police Department, Cherry Hill Police Department, Horsham Township (Pennsylvania) Police Department, Philadelphia Police Department, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their combined and cooperative efforts in connection with these investigations.
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).