UPDATE: Fugitive Toms River arson suspect nabbed in Georgia by U.S. Marshals
ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE: Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Toms River Police Chief Mitch Little are asking media outlets to post the attached picture of Kenneth Lyons, 36, of Ocean, New Jersey, wanted for the charges of Aggravated Arson and Attempted Murder. The charges stem from a fire he allegedly set to a Toms River home in early April.
Lyons, who could not be located at his listed addresses, is 5’9” and weighs approximately 204 pounds. His MVC driver’s license photo can be found on the next page of this release. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kenneth Lyons should contact TRPD Detective Andrew Chencharik at 732-349-0150 Ext. 1338, their local police or the US Marshals Service by e-mail at: usms.wanted@usdoj.gov. All information will be treated as confidential.
On April 7, 2018, at approximately 1:30 am, police and fire units responded to 6 Castro Grove Road in Toms River for a structure fire. Units from Silverton, Pleasant Plains, and East Dover fire companies responded and extinguished the fires. Toms River Officers noting suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire immediately secured the scene and notified fire investigation personnel to respond. The subsequent investigation would lead to the identification of Kenneth Lyons as the defendant who is alleged to have deliberately set both fires. Lyons is an acquaintance of the victim.
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.
The media and the public are reminded that criminal charges are accusations only. Every criminal defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.