A terrifying camping trip in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has taken an extraordinary turn after a woman who claimed her boyfriend tried to burn her alive was arrested herself, while the man initially accused of attempted murder has been cleared of all charges.
Justin Martin, 36, of Saddle Brook, spent several days behind bars after his girlfriend accused him of attacking her and abandoning her in a remote wooded area of Ocean County. But investigators now say the woman’s account was false, leading prosecutors to dismiss the charges against Martin and arrest his accuser.
The ordeal began October 15, when emergency responders rushed to the Colliers Mills area of Plumsted Township after receiving a frantic 911 call about a woman suffering from burns.
According to court documents cited in earlier reports, the injured woman had approached a worker in the woods and begged him to summon help. She allegedly claimed Martin had tried to kill her before fleeing the campsite in a Chrysler 200.
Police and paramedics arrived near Hawkin Road and Success Road around 1:36 p.m. and found the woman in distress. She was taken to Temple University Burn Center in Philadelphia, where she received treatment before being released several days later.
The woman, identified in subsequent reports as Chelsea Villano, 33, initially told investigators that she had been in the woods with Martin and another person when her boyfriend tried to burn and kill her.
Detectives quickly launched an investigation, locating Martin in Asbury Park shortly after midnight on October 16. He was arrested without incident and charged with attempted murder and aggravated arson.
The allegations painted a disturbing picture of what was supposed to be a camping getaway. Earlier court reports also described claims from the woman’s mother about previous arguments and troubling behavior in the relationship.
But as detectives continued examining the circumstances surrounding the woman’s injuries, the investigation began moving in an entirely different direction.
On October 19, Martin was released from the Ocean County Jail. Four days later, prosecutors announced that the attempted murder and aggravated arson charges against him had been dismissed.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer revealed that investigators had uncovered evidence contradicting the woman’s original allegations.
According to the prosecutor’s office, further investigation determined that Villano had provided false information to police about how she suffered her injuries and who was responsible.
On October 23, Villano was arrested at Eatontown Police Headquarters and charged with two counts of falsely incriminating another person. She was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where authorities said she was being held pending a detention hearing.
The reversal represents a dramatic development in a case that initially appeared to involve a violent attack in one of New Jersey’s most isolated wilderness areas.
Although authorities confirmed that Villano suffered burns requiring hospital treatment, they have not publicly explained exactly how those injuries occurred. Prosecutors also have not disclosed what evidence led investigators to reject her original account.
The Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, part of the sprawling Pine Barrens region, is known for its wooded trails, sandy roads and remote terrain. The surrounding wilderness helped make the initial allegations particularly alarming.
For Martin, the investigation resulted in an arrest and several days in jail before prosecutors concluded the criminal case against him should be dismissed.
Villano now faces criminal proceedings of her own. The charges against her remain allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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