TOMS RIVER — A woman was found dead inside a Highland Plaza apartment late October 23 after a fire that investigators determined was accidentally sparked by careless smoking, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Police and firefighters responded to the apartment complex on Highland Parkway around 11:20 p.m. Crews saw smoke coming from a second-floor unit and found the woman on the living room floor while searching the apartment.
Authorities are withholding her name until her identity is confirmed and her next of kin is notified.
Investigators traced the fire’s origin to a couch against the living room’s east wall, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The investigation involved the prosecutor’s arson squad, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office crime scene unit, township police detectives and the township’s Bureau of Fire Prevention. The Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office also assisted.
Photos courtesy Exit 82 Scanner News.
