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A New York man has been charged with aggravated arson and possessing a destructive device after allegedly fashioning a Molotov cocktail-style rig to burn a vehicle.
According to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Tashaun Normand, 42, of The Bronx, is accused of being responsible for the March 23 fire on the lawn of a residence on Belmont Drive in South Toms River at about 3:25 p.m. Police and the Manitou Park Fire Company arrived to find a fire in the interior of a 2010 GMC Terrain SUV, as well as a separate fire on a grassy area adjacent to the residence. The fires were extinguished, but officers also observed a broken glass bottle, and a second glass bottle which contained an unknown liquid with a torn rag placed inside, “consistent with a Molotov cocktail,” the statement said.
Detectives and arson investigators determined that the origin of the fire was the front windshield of the Terrain, and the cause of the fire was incendiary – specifically, by a person utilizing an open flame to light a combustible material. Further investigation revealed that Normand “was the individual responsible for making the Molotov cocktails and throwing them at the motor vehicle and in the direction of the residence.” A motive for the alleged offense was not revealed.
Normand was taken into custody in Monroe County, Tenn. by the Tennessee Highway Patrol without incident on March 30, 2026. Normand is currently lodged in the Monroe County Tennessee Jail pending his extradition to New Jersey. A photo of Normand was not available, however an inmate listing described him as a black male born in 1982, who remains in custody there.
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