Story by Ethan
On January 30th, 2026, the arrest of Juliette Tournier, age 30, was announced by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Juliette Tournier was charged with Aggravated Arson and Eluding. The arrest and charges against Juliette Tournier were a result of an investigation handled by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Surf City Police Department, and Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, at approximately 8:40 p.m. on February 19th, 2025, a structure fire on North Central Avenue was responded to by Surf City Police and the Surf City Fire Department. While trying to contain the fire one of the firefighters had gotten injured, subsequently being transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford, New Jersey, to be treated for his injuries and then be swiftly released. After the fire was extinguished an investigation ensued that revealed the fire originated in two places in the building, one on the lower floor and one on the upper floor. The fire was determined to be caused by someone utilizing an open flame with flammable liquids to create both incendiary fires.
At approximately 8:20 p.m. on February 19th, 2025, officers from the Ship Bottom Police Department attempted to perform a routine motor vehicle stop on a Honda HRV that was traveling westbound on Route 72. Juliette Tournier was operating the Honda and initially pulled over in an unsafe location for the motor vehicle stop to be executed. The officer approached the vehicle and instructed the defendant to drive over the bridge they were on so the stop could be conducted safely. However, after the officer attempted to position himself and Juliette Tournier further up for safety, the defendant sped off and did not pull over again. The officer was unable to pursue the vehicle due to safety reasons. An investigation into the incident discovered that the vehicle’s license plate was stolen from a similar looking vehicle earlier in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Detectives were able to identify Juliette Tournier as the driver and also as the individual responsible for stealing the license plate. On February 20th, 2025, Juliette Tournier was charged with Eluding and Receiving Stolen Property in relation to the stolen Honda license plate. Detectives also pinpointed the defendant as the individual responsible for the residential fire in Surf City, leading to the Aggravated Arson charge. On February 26th, 2025, Juliette Tournier surrendered herself to the Surf City Police Department before being transported to the Ocean County Jail. However she ended up being released due to the New Jersey Bail Reform.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against Juliette Tournier are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
