10/11/2026
PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP MAN CHARGED WITH
AGGRAVATED ARSON AND BURGLARY
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that that on October 11, 2026, Matthew Waldman, 21, of Plumsted Township, was charged with Aggravated Arson, Arson, two counts of Burglary, and Aggravated Assault on a Firefighter, all in connection with a structure fire that occurred on October 10, 2026, in Plumsted Township.
On October 10, 2026, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Plumsted Township Fire and Police Departments were dispatched to an abandoned residence on Maple Avenue for a report of a structure fire. Upon their arrival, first responders discovered fire throughout a detached garage at the rear of the property. During fire suppression efforts, a firefighter suffered injuries to her hand; she was transported to Capital Health at Deborah in Browns Mills where she was treated and subsequently released.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Plumsted Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that Waldman was illegally staying in the residence near the detached garage, and was responsible for starting the fire. Waldman was taken into custody without incident at Plumsted Township Police Headquarters and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
Prosecutor Billhimer commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Plumsted Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
R.P.C. 3.6(b)(6).
