TOMS RIVER – An Egg Harbor Township man is facing charges of aggravated arson and attempted murder according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Billhimer announced on June 24 that Jamal Preston, 26, was indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on a charge of attempted murder in connection with a fire he deliberately started at a Lakewood home on August 22, 2020. Preston was also indicted on four counts of aggravated arson.
Lakewood Police responded to a fire at a residence in that township and a joint investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and New Jersey State Fire Marshals K-9 Unit, determined that the fire had been intentionally set.
The blaze began through use of an ignitable liquid and an open flame. Further investigation determined that Preston had intentionally set the fire while three individuals were in the residence.
Preston had fled the scene but was arrested at a motel in Absecon by members of the United States Marshals Service on August 31, 2020. He has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since his apprehension.
Prosecutor Billhimer commends the diligent efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Meghan O’Neill who is handling the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit Arson Squad, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, Lakewood Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, New Jersey State Fire Marshals K-9 Unit, United States Marshals Service, Egg Harbor Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and South Toms River Police Department all of whom worked cooperatively involving this case.
