MANCHESTER — A Toms River man has been charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated arson and bias intimidation, following a fire and burglary at an unoccupied home in Ocean County, authorities said.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Dalin Brown, 24, was charged April 1 in connection with incidents that occurred March 29 at a residence in Manchester Township.
Police responded to the home on 12th Avenue around 9:55 a.m. March 30 after receiving a report of a burglary. Officers arriving at the scene found evidence of a fire that had already been extinguished in the living room. They also discovered antisemitic carvings on an interior door and walls, officials said. The residence was under construction and unoccupied at the time.
A joint investigation involving the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Manchester Township police, the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined the fire originated along the south wall of the living room. Authorities concluded it was intentionally set using combustible materials found at the scene.
Investigators later identified Brown as the suspect responsible for entering the home, setting the fire and carving the messages, according to prosecutors.
Brown was taken into custody at Manchester Township Police Headquarters without incident and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains pending a detention hearing.
Billhimer credited multiple agencies for their coordinated efforts in the investigation.
