LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ — Two men were sentenced to state prison for aggravated arson and related charges in connection with incidents that occurred in Little Egg Harbor Township.
Ethan Salter, 20, of Little Egg Harbor Township, was sentenced on Nov. 21 to three years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to aggravated arson stemming from a Jan. 8 structure fire on National Union Boulevard.
Salter was also sentenced to three years on a charge of creating a false public alarm, related to a bomb threat made Dec. 2 at a Walmart store in the township.
The sentences will run concurrently.
Investigators determined Salter, a former Walmart employee, stole a handheld radio and used it to broadcast the bomb threat around 5:45 p.m., prompting an evacuation and search by law enforcement, which ultimately found the threat to be unfounded.
Salter was arrested at his residence on Dec. 5 and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform regulations.
On the same sentencing date, Thomas Lester, 21, of Tuckerton, received three years in state prison for aggravated arson and 12 months for criminal mischief, both in connection with the Jan. 8 structure fire.
Those sentences will also run concurrently.
Officials said the fire, which broke out about 3:19 a.m., was determined to have been set intentionally using an open flame and ignitable liquid.
A multi-agency investigation led to the arrests of both Salter and Lester on March 7.
Lester was released following his arrest pursuant to bail reform.
Salter, originally released, remains in custody for violating the terms of his release.
