Fire At Apartment Draws Arson Charge In Ocean County

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man is accused of setting a fire at an apartment in Winteringham Village on Monday night, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

Kevin Funchess, 59, has been charged with aggravated arson in the fire, which was set in the living room of an apartment, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

The fire at the apartment complex on Route 166 was reported about 11 p.m. Monday, with both Toms River police and fire companies responding to the 182-apartment complex, the prosecutor's office said.

The fire had been extinguished by the time emergency personnel responded, authorities said.

Investigators determined the fire had been deliberately set by someone using an open flame to ignitable liquid, and soon identified Funchess as the person responsible, the prosecutor's office said.

He was arrested at the scene but taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for shortness of breath, the prosecutor's office said.

"Once medically cleared, Funchess will be transferred to the Ocean County Jail," where he will be held pending a detention hearing, the prosecutor's office said.

Authorities did not provide information on a potential motive and did not say whether there was anyone else in the apartment at the time of the fire.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office K-9 Unit, collaborated on the investigation.