Tuckerton man pleads guilty to arson and criminal mischief in Little Egg Harbor fire
OCEAN COUNTY, NJ – A 21-year-old Tuckerton man has admitted to setting a fire that destroyed part of a Little Egg Harbor Township home in January 2024, prosecutors announced.
On September 29, Thomas Lester pled guilty before Superior Court Judge Dina M. Vicari to aggravated arson and criminal mischief. Prosecutors will seek a three-year state prison sentence on the arson charge and 12 months on the criminal mischief charge, to run concurrently, when Lester is sentenced on November 17.
The fire broke out in the early morning hours of January 8, 2024, at a residence on National Union Boulevard. Firefighters were able to bring the flames under control. A joint investigation by multiple agencies, including the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad and the New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office, determined the blaze began in the living room and was intentionally set using an open flame and an ignitable liquid.
Detectives identified Lester and Ethan Salter, 20, of Little Egg Harbor, as those responsible. Both men were arrested on March 7, 2024, and taken to the Ocean County Jail. Lester was later released under bail reform guidelines.
Salter pled guilty to aggravated arson in April 2025. His sentencing is also scheduled for November 17, and he remains detained pending that hearing.
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Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer credited the combined efforts of multiple law enforcement and fire investigation units for closing the case.
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Key Points
- Thomas Lester, 21, of Tuckerton, pled guilty to aggravated arson and criminal mischief
- Fire at Little Egg Harbor home in January 2024 was ruled incendiary
- Co-defendant Ethan Salter pled guilty earlier and awaits sentencing in November