Man Indicted On Attempted Murder, Arson At Lakewood Home

LAKEWOOD, NJ — An Egg Harbor Township man has been indicted on a charge of attempted murder in connection with an August 2020 house fire in Lakewood, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.

Jamal M. Preston, 26, also was indicted on four counts of aggravated arson in the Aug. 22 fire, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Billhimer said investigators determined Preston had intentionally set the fire at a Lakewood home using "an ignitable liquid and an open flame." As they investigated further, they determined Preston had intentionally set the fire knowing people were in the house, he said.

Senior Assistant Prosecutor Meghan O’Neill is handling the case on behalf of the state. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department and its Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshals Office, New Jersey State Fire Marshals K-9 Unit, United States Marshals Service, Egg Harbor Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and South Toms River Police Department collaborated in the investigation.

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