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Woman pours gasoline on man, holds torch at him until he hands over money, NJ cops say

A woman poured gasoline on a man and held a butane torch at him until he gave her money and other items after they talked on Snapchat, New Jersey police say.
A woman poured gasoline on a man and held a butane torch at him until he gave her money and other items after they talked on Snapchat, New Jersey police say. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A woman poured gasoline on a man and held a butane torch toward him until he handed over money, clothes and sneakers during a meeting for a potential sale that went awry, police in New Jersey say.

This came after she reached out to the 18-year-old on Snapchat and expressed interest in buying items he was selling in late June, according to the Manchester Township Police Department.

The pair had met outside a Dollar General store in Manchester where the woman doused him in gasoline and “forced him” to give her $300, the items and his cellphone on June 21, an Aug. 3 news release from police says.

Now Eboni Hester, 27 of Manchester Township, is facing charges including robbery, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of weapons and more nearly two months after the meet-up took place, according to the release.

After Hester allegedly robbed the man, she suddenly fled on state Highway 37, police say. She was identified as the suspect “through various investigative efforts.”

Hester is currently awaiting a detention hearing, according to the release.

Police are reminding the public that the township has a “safe exchange zone” at the municipal complex where residents can meet for online purchases and “make child custodial exchanges,” the department says.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office also took part in the investigation, according to the release.

Manchester Township is roughly 35 miles southeast of Trenton.

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This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Woman pours gasoline on man, holds torch at him until he hands over money, NJ cops say."

Julia Marnin
McClatchy DC
Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.
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