TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A Toms River man has pleaded guilty to arson and criminal mischief in connection with two incidents that occurred in Ocean County in September 2024, prosecutors announced.
Charles Maulbeck, 51, entered guilty pleas before Judge Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P., to charges stemming from a fire in Brick Township on September 13, and a separate criminal mischief case in Lacey Township on September 14. At sentencing scheduled for July 25, prosecutors will seek a three-year term in New Jersey State Prison for the arson and 18 months for the criminal mischief, to run concurrently.
The fire in Brick was first observed by patrol officers who saw heavy smoke and flames coming from a residence on Falkenberg Road. During efforts to extinguish the blaze, three firefighters were injured—two were treated at a local medical facility and released, while one declined medical attention.
An investigation by multiple agencies, including the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad and the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Safety, determined the fire was incendiary in nature, started in the north side of the residence’s split basement using an open flame and available combustibles.
Concurrent sentence sought in connected Ocean County cases
Authorities identified Maulbeck as the suspect after further investigation involving the Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad and Brick Township detectives. He was served with an arson charge by complaint-warrant while in custody at the Ocean County Jail on October 7, 2024.
One day after the Brick fire, on September 14, Lacey Township Police responded to a home on Stuyvesant Street for a report of criminal mischief. Officers found a vehicle at the scene with a smashed rear window. Investigators later determined Maulbeck had used a rock to damage the vehicle before fleeing. He was apprehended nearby and taken into custody without incident.
He has remained in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer credited the coordinated investigative work of local police departments, fire officials, and prosecutors that led to Maulbeck’s pleas and the pending state prison sentence.
