The woman killed in the fire at the Highland Plaza Apartments in Toms River late Friday night has been identified as Barbara Booker, 67, the resident of the apartment, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
As earlier reported on TLS, Toms River Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to the Highland Parkway complex at approximately 11:20 p.m. Friday, where first responders observed smoke coming from a second-floor apartment. During a search of the residence, firefighters located Booker deceased on the living room floor.
A joint investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Toms River Police Detective Bureau, and Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention determined the fire originated on a couch along the east wall of the living room. The cause of the fire was ruled accidental, attributed to careless smoking.
A post-mortem examination performed Saturday by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Booker’s cause of death to be smoke inhalation due to fire, and the manner of death accidental.
