Manchester Man Indicted In 28 Fires, Including 617-Acre Forest Blaze

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township man has been indicted on 28 counts of aggravated arson in connection with a series of forest fires in Ocean and Monmouth counties that authorities say were intentionally set.

Gregory P. Fullman Jr., 32, of Manchester Township, was indicted Wednesday by an Ocean County grand jury in connection with fires in Little Egg Harbor, Manchester, Lakewood and Wall townships from May 2021 through January, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Fullman was arrested Jan. 31 following an investigation into the fires, which authorities say included multiple fires set in each location.

Fullman is accused of setting fires on the following dates:

May 16, 2021: Two fires set off Otis Bog Road in Little Egg Harbor that consumed more than 600 acres of forest. According to the probable cause affidavit, authorities were able to connect Fullman to the Little Egg fire through half-cut cigarette filters from Marlboro 100s, two empty Marlboro 100 packs and a Bang Unicorn energy drink that they say Fullman purchased at the Wawa on Route 9 in Tuckerton, along with DNA on one of the cigarette butts that matched a record for Fullman in the CODIS registry.

The fire forced hundreds of people to evacuate from their homes as the fires raged through the forest. It took four days to fully contain the fire.

Dec. 1: In Lakewood, two fires on the 200 block of Airport Road and two fires near 730 Airport Road, along with two fires set in Manchester off Route 70. The affidavit says investigators retrieved tire impressions and shoe impressions from one of the Lakewood fire sites that later were matched to Fullman's car and shoes.

Dec. 8: In Little Egg Harbor on Thomas Road, off Poor Man's Parkway and Route 539, there were 12 fires set that were discovered about 6 p.m. The affidavit says investigators retrieved tire impressions and shoe impressions that later were matched to Fullman's car and shoes.

Dec. 16: In Manchester, two fires on Brentwood Avenue, on what authorities said was the same lot where fires had been set Dec. 1.

Jan. 21: In Lakewood, three fires east of 1245 Airport Road. By this point, detectives had pinpointed Fullman as a suspect and had planted a court-approved GPS tracking device on Fullman's car, and they were able to track him to and from the site of the fire, according to the affidavit.

He also was tracked to Schoolhouse Road in Wall, the affidavit said. Wall Township police, in response to an alert from Ocean County authorities, found evidence of three fires in that area, along with a burned pack of Marlboro 100s, the affidavit said.

Fullman originally was arrested on 25 counts of aggravated arson; the indictment did not say what prompted the additional three counts.

The affidavit says investigators had identified Fullman as the suspect in the May fires by August but were unable to find him to question him. Fullman was pulled over Dec. 9, and authorities found ripped up cigarette filters and other items in his car, but did not arrest him at that time, instead installing the GPS tracking device on one of three cars that Fullman drove.

Fullman remains in the Ocean County Jail.