Saddle Brook Man Charged With Attempted Murder After Woman Found Burned in Ocean County Woods

PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A Saddle Brook man has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated arson after a woman was found burned in a wooded area of Plumsted Township in Ocean County, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Friday, Oct. 16, 2026.

Justin Martin, 36, of Saddle Brook, was charged Oct. 16 in connection with the incident a day earlier, according to the prosecutor’s release. Detectives found Martin in Asbury Park at about 12:15 a.m. Oct. 16; he was taken into custody without incident and lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing, the release says.

Charges are accusations. Martin is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

What the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office put on the record

1. Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, about 1:36 p.m.: the Plumsted Township Police Department and Emergency Medical Services Unit responded to a wooded area near Hawkin Road and Success Road after a 911 call about a female burn victim.
2. First responders found the woman in distress and suffering from burns. She was taken to the Temple University Burn Center in Philadelphia, where she is listed in stable condition, according to the release.
3. An investigation by the prosecutor’s Major Crime Unit, Plumsted Township police and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit found that while the woman and Martin were in the wooded area, Martin caused her to suffer burns and smoke inhalation, the release says. Martin then fled in a vehicle, leaving her stranded, according to the prosecutor.
4. Friday, Oct. 16, about 12:15 a.m.: Detectives located Martin in Asbury Park and took him into custody without incident.
5. Charges: attempted murder and aggravated arson.

Billhimer credited his Major Crime Unit, Plumsted police, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office CSI Unit, the Asbury Park, Eatontown and Keansburg police departments and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.

The Bergen County connection

The only Bergen County link in the public record is Martin’s listed hometown of Saddle Brook. The case is being prosecuted by Ocean County, not the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Bergen TV searched the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office press releases on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, and found no release on Martin.

What fits — and what still doesn’t

• How she was burned. The release says Martin “caused” burns and smoke inhalation, and the arson charge points to fire, but it does not describe what was set on fire or how.
• Who called 911. The release says first responders went to the woods after a 911 call about a burn victim. It does not say who made the call, which matters because the woman is described as having been left stranded.
• The relationship. The release does not say how Martin and the woman knew each other or why they were in the woods in Plumsted, an Ocean County township far from Saddle Brook.
• About 10½ hours. The 911 response was around 1:36 p.m. Oct. 15; Martin was found in Asbury Park around 12:15 a.m. the next day. How detectives identified and tracked him is not described. Eatontown and Keansburg police are thanked but their roles are not explained.
• No degrees or statutes. The release does not list the degree of either charge or statute numbers. Bergen TV is not adding them.
• Detention. As of the release, Martin was awaiting a detention hearing. No date was given.

Open questions

• When is the detention hearing, and will prosecutors seek to keep Martin jailed until trial?
• What was the relationship between Martin and the woman?
• What was burned, and was an accelerant involved?
• Who called 911?
• Does Martin have an attorney who will comment?

Source: Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, “Saddle Brook Man Charged With Attempted Murder and Aggravated Arson,” Oct. 16, 2026.