Man Sought On Arson, Attempted Murder Charges In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Authorities are seeking the public's help in finding a man who is accused of setting fire to a Toms River home earlier this month.

Kenneth Lyons, 36, is wanted on charges of aggravated arson and attempted murder in connection with a fire on Castro Grove Road in Toms River, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Toms River Police Chief Mitch Little announced in a joint news release.

Lyons, who could not be located at his listed addresses, is 5-foot-9 and weighs about 200 pounds. Authorities released his driver's license photo in hopes of locating him, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Della Fave said police and firefighters responded to the Castro Grove Road home at 1:30 a.m. on April 7 and found two fires burning. Units from Silverton, Pleasant Plains, and the East Dover fire companies responded and extinguished the fires, he said.

Police officers immediately secured the scene because they noted suspicious circumstances, and the investigation identified Lyons as the suspect, Della Fave said. Lyons is an acquaintance of the victim, he said.

Toms River Police Detective Andrew Chencharik, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Detective Thomas Haskell Jr., and Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention Officer Dominick Roselli are conducting the investigation. Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Detectives Jordan Toscano and Jillian Marin documented the crime scene, Della Fave said.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kenneth Lyons should contact Chencharik at 732-349-0150, ext. 1338, call their local police, or contact the US Marshals Service by e-mail at: usms.wanted@usdoj.gov. All information will be treated as confidential.

Photos provided by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office