Man Admits Setting Fire To Southern Ocean Home: Prosecutor

TUCKERTON, NJ — A Tuckerton man admitted to purposefully setting a Little Egg Harbor home on fire, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Thomas Lester, 21, pleaded guilty to aggravated arson and criminal mischief in connection with the Jan. 8, 2024 house fire, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Lester's sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 17, 2025. The state will be seeking a sentence of three years in New Jersey State Prison for the aggravated arson charge and 12 months for the criminal mischief charge, to run concurrently, Billhimer said.

At about 3:19 a.m. on Jan. 8, officers and firefighters from Little Egg Harbor were dispatched to a structure fire on National Union Boulevard, Billhimer said. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze.

Authorities determined that the fire began in the living room and was caused by someone igniting flammable liquid, Billhimer said.

A multi-agency investigation found that Lester and Edwin Salter, a 20-year-old from Little Egg Harbor, were responsible for lighting the fire, Billhimer said. Read more: Man Called Fake Bomb Threat At Walmart; Later Set House Ablaze In Little Egg Harbor: Cops

Both were taken into custody on March 7, 2024. Salter remained jailed; Lester was released due to bail reform, Billhimer said.

Salter pleaded guilty to aggravated arson on April 28, 2025. His sentencing is also set for Nov. 15. He remains in Ocean County Jail, Billhimer said.