Man Accused In Ocean County Garage Fire Said He'd Set Fires Before: Affidavit

TOMS RIVER, NJ — An Ocean County man accused of setting a fire that destroyed a garage in Plumsted and led to a firefighter's injury told authorities he had set fires in the past, according to court documents.

Matthew A. Waldman, 21, has been charged with aggravated arson, arson, two counts of burglary, and aggravated assault on a firefighter in connection with the fire at a home in Plumsted on Oct. 10, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

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The fire was set near a detached garage and "fully consumed" the garage and its contents, which included two cars, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in Waldman's arrest.

Waldman had been homeless since his parents had forced him to leave home at the age of 18, his public defender told Superior Court Judge Dina Vicari during his detention hearing on Friday.

He had been squatting at the home on Maple Avenue and Plumsted police were aware he was there, the affidavit said.

Waldman initially told investigators he did not know how the fire started, saying only he had seen a column of smoke rising from the area of the property as he returned from a trip to a local Wawa and pizzeria, the affidavit said.

He then changed his story and told police he had lit a leaf on fire outside the detached garage, then later admitted to setting a piece of paper on fire, the affidavit said.

Waldman ultimately told a detective that he had been inside the garage, next to one of two cars inside, when he lit paper on fire that led to the entire garage catching fire, according to the affidavit, and drew a diagram for authorities showing where he had set it.

"Waldman further added that when he was younger, he set his carpet on fire in four separate places and his mom called the fire department," the affidavit said. He was never charged with a crime in that incident, authorities said in court on Friday.

Waldman was released to await trial on Friday with pretrial monitoring conditions.