LITTLE EGG HARBOR – A Township man has been charged with setting the same home on fire three separate times, officials said.
Steven Johnson, 36, was charged with three counts of Aggravated Arson, in connection with fires that occurred on January 6, January 10, and January 12, all at the same residence in Little Egg Harbor Township.
The first fire occurred around 1:30 a.m. on January 6. First responders were dispatched to a vacant structure on Revolutionary Road to extinguish a fire.
Once the blaze was put out, authorities discovered that the fire originated in the living room and that an ignitable liquid was used.
On January 10 at 12:30 a.m., first responders came to the same address for another fire. This time, the fire was reported from the shed. However, it was again caused by an ignitable liquid. The shed was not damaged from the fire, officials said.
On January 12, at around 1 a.m., Officers from the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department were conducting surveillance at the home when they saw an unknown man hop the fence of the property.
The man, later identified as Johnson – the next-door neighbor, was seen pouring liquid on the deck and proceeded to light it on fire. Officers said Johnson left the property and return to his own home.
Police quickly extinguished the fire, and subsequently placed Johnson under arrest without incident.
Authorities later discovered that Johnson was responsible for all three fires at the Revolutionary Road home. Johnson was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains lodged pending a detention hearing.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Little Egg Harbor Township Chief of Police James Hawkins acknowledged the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Little Egg Harbor Detective Bureau, Little Egg Harbor Police, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office K-9 Unit, for their combined and cooperative efforts in connection with this investigation.
Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law.
