2 18-Year-Olds Badly Burned As Gasoline Ignites In Ocean Township Fire Pit: Police

OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ — Two 18-year-old men were burned Thursday evening when they tried to use gasoline to start a fire in a fire pit, Ocean Township police said.

One of the men was airlifted to the St. Barnabas Burn Center in Livingston with significant burns to his face, chest and hands, Detective Lt. Timothy Torchia said. The other suffered lesser burn injuries and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, he said.

Torchia said the incident happened shortly before 6:30 p.m. in a fire pit behind a home on Weston Avenue. Investigation at the scene revealed the two were burned in the process of starting the fire in the fire pit, he said.

One of the injured males was using gasoline to start the fire and the gasoline ignited in an explosive manner, burning both men, Torchia said.

The Ocean Township Fire District 2 Fire Marshal’s Office along with the Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office also responded to the scene to assist in the investigation. Ocean Township Officers Trevor Dickerson and Steven Walker responded, as did Ocean Township Detective Jesse Orbach, he said.

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