Fire At Vacant Manchester House Intentionally Set: Prosecutor

MANCHESTER, NJ — A fire that destroyed a vacant home on Ridgeway Road Sunday was intentionally set, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.

Manchester police and firefighters responded to the fire on Sunday morning and after it was extinguished, investigators began searching for the cause, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

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Investigators determined the cause of the fire was "incendiary," and that the fire had been intentionally set, Billhimer said. The prosecutor's office did not provide a description of the incendiary device.

"Investigators believe that this was an isolated incident and that there is no immediate threat to the surrounding community," the prosecutor's office said.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Manchester Township Detective Bureau investigated.

The investigation is continuing, and anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Robert Kraft of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, ext. 2745, or Detective Richard Conklin of the Manchester Township Police Department at 732-657-2009, ext. 4211.

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