She poured gas on man, held torch until he gave money: cops

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.

Julia Marnin is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter covering the southeast and northeast while based in New York. She’s an alumna of The College of New Jersey and joined McClatchy in 2021. Previously, she’s written for Newsweek, Modern Luxury, Gannett and more.