SENTENCING IN TOMS RIVER AGGRAVATED ARSON CASE
On Friday, February 3, Defendant John Fischer 5th, age 27, of Toms River was sentenced by Judge Rochelle Gizinski J.S.C., to 7 years in New Jersey State Prison (No Early Release) after his guilty plea to a 2nd degree charge of Aggravated Arson. The case was prosecuted by OCPO Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Bridget Coughlin who asked that Fischer be sentenced to 8 years NJSP (NERA) because of the fact that he placed the victims in danger of death or bodily injury.
The offense occurred on Tuesday, September 6, 2016, at approximately 12:24 am, when the Toms River Police Department and Pleasant Plains Fire Department were dispatched to a reported structure fire at a Camino Roble address in the Township of Toms River. Emergency personnel arrived and observed a fire in the rear of the structure. First responders found the homeowner had used a fire extinguisher to put out an additional fire at the front door.
The investigation by the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention, Toms River Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutors Office Arson Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigations and Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office K-9 determined the fire to be intentionally set. The investigation ultimately led to the arrest of Fischer later that day on Tuesday, September 6, 2016. John Fischer 5th was charged with the above charge of Aggravated Arson and bail at the time was set at $75,000 no ten percent.
Fischer must serve more than 5 years and 11 months before he can be considered for release under parole supervision.
Follow the Office of the Ocean County Prosecutor online at Twitter and Facebook. The social media links provided are for reference only. The OCPO does not endorse any non-governmental websites, companies or applications. For additional information visit our website at oceancountyprosecutor.org.