accused in arson
that killed resident
Kaye: Suspect lit fire, then
‘turned and walked away’
Manalapan man
accused in arson
that killed resident
By clare marie celano
Staff Writer
Darkness. The blue light of morning lies on the horizon. While the rest of the town sleeps, a man walks with purpose through the streets of Freehold Borough, toward 91 Throckmorton St., and with a stroke of a match begins a chain of events that will ultimately lead to the loss of a precious life and the destruction of a borough landmark.
The life lost, consumed by smoke and fire, belonged to Elijah "Slick" Jenkins — the landmark was the Walter J. Conley Elks Lodge No. 1379.
And according to Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye, "evidence provided indicates that the fire was ignited by Tomango Sims of Manalapan."
Kaye said that in the early morning hours of July 20, Sims, 38, who is now an inmate at the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, "took a red container filled with either gasoline or kerosene, then filled a small glass container with some of the contents. He then walked to the lodge, poured the contents of the bottle onto the welcome mat at the front door, ignited the contents and then turned and walked away."
Kaye said the building immediately went up in flames. He said it was miraculous that firefighters were able to contain the fire they way they did. The prosecutor said the arson investigation was seriously impeded because of the extent of the fire damage.
Kaye said investigators are working with two possible motives for the fire. The first is that Sims’ mother, who has been reported to have family ties with members of the lodge, was denied admission to the lodge. The other theory is that Sims’ sister and brother-in-law were scheduled to have a party at the lodge at the same time as another affair was booked. Kaye said the deposit for the lodge was never returned.
Sims was arrested at the Manalapan home of his girlfriend on July 21. After his arrest, he was taken to Freehold Borough police headquarters where he was interrogated, Kaye said.
The prosecutor said the possibility of another person being involved in the crime is under investigation.
An autopsy on Jenkins revealed that he died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. Kaye said the Monmouth County medical examiner could not give a conclusive report whether the thermal injuries or smoke inhalation was the actual cause of death.
The fire at the lodge on July 20 brought firefighters from surrounding towns to assist the Freehold Fire Department in the containment of the fire. The firefighters attempted to rescue Jerkins but were unsuccessful due to the intensity of the fire.
His body was found in an upstairs kitchen area at about 11:45 a.m., six hours after the firefighters began their effort to contain the flames.
Sims was being held on $1 million bail at the county jail.