Man Sought In Beachwood Shed Fire Charged In Assault On Nurse: Prosecutor

Toms River, NJ -- A Toms River man who was being sought in connection with a May shed fire has been arrested after he allegedly assaulted a nurse at Community Medical Center, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

Robert A. Houser, 40, of Toms River, was arrested June 15 and charged with aggravated arson and assault, Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office, said.

Houser had been sought in connection with the May 19 investigation into a shed fire on Atlantic City Boulevard in Beachwood, Della Fave said. Beachwood Police and Fire Department responded to the fire at 5:20 a.m. on May 19 and quickly extinguished the fire, he said. The investigation by Beachwood police and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Investigation Unit found a witness who reported seeing a male leaving the scene with a gas can and fleeing the area in a white Chevy Express van, Della Fave said. The van was last seen heading south on Capstan Avenue, he said.

It was believed Houser, the registered van owner, had fled the state, Della Fave said.

Police believe that he returned to the area because of a family connection, and while at Community Medical Center in Toms River, Houser allegedly assaulted a nurse, Della Fave said. Toms River police arrested Houser and charged him with assault, then contacted Beachwood police, who charged Houser with aggravated arson, he said.

Della Fave said the assault on the nurse and the shed arson are not related.

Houser is being held at the Ocean County Jail, Toms River, in lieu of $50,000 bail on the aggravated arson charge and $5,000 bail on the assault charge, Della Fave said.

(Robert A. Houser, photo courtesy Ocean County Prosecutor's Office)