By: Richard L. Smith
Ron Carr, 35, of Manchester Township, was sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) on August 16 by the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P., after pleading guilty to arson. Carr's charges stem from incidents that occurred in Manchester Township on June 6 and the early morning of June 7, 2023.
In addition to the arson sentence, Carr received a five-year prison term for Bias Intimidation and 18 months for two counts of Criminal Mischief, all related to the same series of incidents.
The sentences will run concurrently. Carr pled guilty to all charges before Judge Ryan on June 20, 2024.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, the events began on June 6, 2023, around 11:45 p.m., when Manchester Township police responded to reports of vandalism in the Pine Lake Park area.
Fourteen homes were defaced with spray paint, including some marked with Nazi symbols. Officers gathered a description of the suspect.
Later, in the early hours of June 7, police responded to a structure fire in the same area.
The fire destroyed a house, damaged three nearby homes, and spread to adjacent woods. No injuries were reported.
Authorities quickly identified Carr as the suspect from both the vandalism and the arson.
He was apprehended without incident in the area of Commonwealth Boulevard and Larchmont Street and has been held in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
Carr's sentencing marks the culmination of an extensive investigation into the incidents that shook the Manchester Township community last summer.
