Walmart employee behind bomb threat at NJ store and arson at home

An Ocean County man will likely face prison for a bomb hoax and causing a residential fire in two separate incidents.

Ethan Salter, 20, of Little Egg Harbor, pleaded guilty to creating a false public alarm and aggravated arson, which occurred in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Prosecutors say Salter, an ex-Walmart employee, triggered a scare on Dec. 2, 2023, when he broadcast a bomb threat over a stolen employee radio in the Walmart where he worked.

Authorities say the threat was investigated and deemed not credible before Salter was arrested at his home three days later.

The second guilty plea stems from a Jan. 8, 2024 incident where a house fire occurred on National Union Boulevard in Little Egg Township, according to police. Firefighters extinguished it, and an inspection revealed the fire was started due to someone igniting combustibles inside the home, police said.

An investigation led to the arrests Salter and Thomas Lester, 21, of Tuckerton.

Officials said the state will seek concurrent state prison sentences of three years for Salter, who remains imprisoned in Ocean County Jail. His sentencing is slated for June 13, 2025.

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