Lacey Township Man Charged With Setting His Rented Home On Fire

Saturday, October 18, 2025, 8:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ.- On Wednesday, following a swift-moving investigation, a 43-year-old Lacey Township, New Jersey, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with setting his home on fire earlier that day.

     According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Taquan Shelton, 43, of Lacey Township, New Jersey, was formally charged with one count of Aggravated Arson. He was processed on the charge and was remanded to the Ocean County Jail pending future court proceedings in Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River, New Jersey.

     The charge stems from an investigation that began on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, shortly after 1:00 p.m., when members of the Lacey Township Police Department and the Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at a home on Hilltop Road in the Township. Upon arrival, Police Officers and Firefighters discovered furniture on fire inside the house. The fire was quickly extinguished.

Detectives Determine That Shelton Set The Fire

     During the ensuing investigation, Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad and the Lacey Township Police Department, with assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and State and County Fire Officials, determined that the origin of the fire was a couch and ottoman located in the living room, and the cause of the fire was intentially set by an unknown individual using an open flame.

     Further investigation uncovered that Shelton, a renter of the residence, intentionally set his furniture on fire. Shelton was taken into custody later that day at the Lacey Township Police Department.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”