A Little Egg Harbor Township man has been sentenced to three years in state prison for his role in a 2024 arson and a separate 2023 bomb threat, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Friday.

On November 21, 2025, Superior Court Judge Dina M. Vicari sentenced Ethan Salter, 20, to three years in New Jersey State Prison for Aggravated Arson tied to a January 8, 2024 structure fire on National Union Boulevard. Salter also received a concurrent three-year sentence for Creating a False Public Alarm stemming from a December 2, 2023 bomb threat at the Little Egg Harbor Walmart. He had pled guilty to both charges on April 28, 2025.

Judge Vicari also sentenced Thomas Lester, 21, of Tuckerton, to three years in state prison for Aggravated Arson in the same January 2024 fire. Lester received an additional 12-month concurrent sentence for Criminal Mischief. He pled guilty on September 29, 2025.

Bomb Threat Investigation

Police were called to Walmart on December 2, 2023, after a bomb threat was broadcast over employees’ handheld radios. The store was evacuated, and multiple agencies—including the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit—searched the building and determined the threat was not credible.

Investigators learned the threat came from a stolen store radio and identified Salter, a former Walmart employee, as the person responsible. He was arrested on December 5, 2023, and released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.

Arson Investigation

At about 3:19 a.m. on January 8, 2024, police and firefighters responded to a structure fire on National Union Boulevard. Multiple investigative units determined the blaze originated in the living room and had been intentionally set using an open flame and ignitable liquid.

Further investigation identified Salter and Lester as the perpetrators. Both were arrested on March 7, 2024. Lester was released under bail reform; Salter was initially released as well but later jailed for violating release conditions.