Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on September 23, 2026, Tashaun Normand, 42, of Bronx, New York, and Tahkem Boynton, 28, of Fresh Meadows, New York, were each indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on two counts of Aggravated Arson, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Arson, and two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, all 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 GMC 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 throwing the Molotov cocktails 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. On July 19, 2026, Normand was extradited to New Jersey and has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since that date.
Continuing investigation revealed that Boynton conspired with Normand to commit the subject arson and was present at the scene when the crimes occurred. As such, Boynton was directly indicted with respect to the foregoing charges. He is currently lodged at the Otis Bantum Correctional Facility in New York on an unrelated matter.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Julie Peterson who presented the case to the Grand Jury on behalf of the State, and 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).