WINSLOW TOWNSHIP, N.J. — At 12:03 p.m. on June 4, approximately 90 people were inside the Oaks Integrated Care day treatment facility at 128 Cross Keys Road when a licensed practical nurse walked through the lobby with a gasoline can.

Taquan N. Ayers, 25, of Gloucester Township, Camden County, set fire to his apartment at 1200 Little Gloucester Road at roughly 11:50 a.m., according to police accounts. Surveillance video obtained by police shows him with a gasoline can at the Cherrywood Apartments complex shortly before the fire. No injuries were reported there, but the fire rendered the apartment unit uninhabitable.

Ayers then went to his workplace. Police say he parked his vehicle next to the building’s air conditioning unit outside the facility and set that on fire too. Then he entered the building with the gasoline can and doused the lobby area.

According to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, he told one employee to gather everyone inside. During an encounter with another worker, he said, "Everyone is going to die today," and told that employee to call the FBI.

Ayers attempted to ignite the gasoline but failed. Court documents say he used a gas can, lighter and cleaning materials; another account specifies the cleaning materials as a Clorox wipe sprayed with Lysol. He then grabbed a female employee, forced her into an office, locked the door and blocked it for approximately five to 10 minutes. After that time he went outside, where police arrested him without incident. No injuries were reported at the facility.

News accounts did not specify how many employees Ayers confronted inside the facility. Authorities have not publicly identified the employee whom charges say Ayers confined.

Prosecutors filed charges later that day in both municipalities. The charges carry severe penalties under New Jersey law: first-degree kidnapping carries 15 to 30 years, and first-degree attempted murder carries 10 to 20 years. Winslow Township police charged Ayers with one count each of first-degree attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree attempted aggravated arson and third-degree terroristic threats, plus two counts of third-degree arson. Gloucester Township police charged him with one count each of second-degree aggravated arson and second-degree causing or risking widespread injury or damage for the apartment fire.

Ayers set fire to his apartment in Gloucester Township and his workplace in Winslow, prompting the dual sets of charges. Gloucester Township police handled the apartment fire, while Winslow Township police handled the facility incident. The facility carries a Berlin mailing address but sits physically in Winslow Township; ZIP code 08009 extends beyond Berlin borough limits into neighboring municipalities, a pattern that affects multiple addresses in the area.

The charges will be consolidated in Camden County Superior Court, where first-degree crimes require Grand Jury indictment. The court will hold a detention hearing under the Criminal Justice Reform Act to determine whether Ayers poses a flight risk or danger before trial. As of June 6, he was being held at Camden County Correctional Facility, with the hearing pending. A hearing date had not been publicly scheduled as of June 6.

Oaks Integrated Care is an outpatient behavioral care facility. State records list the 128 Cross Keys Road location as providing partial care and intensive outpatient treatment and support services. Clients attend during operating hours and return home. Oaks operates more than 230 programs across 19 New Jersey counties, employs approximately 2,100 people and serves roughly 40,000 clients, according to the organization.

Oaks requires pre-employment drug screening and criminal background checks for all positions, according to its hiring materials. Sources did not specify when Ayers was hired.

News accounts did not describe what security protocols existed at the facility on June 4. Oaks lists security officer positions among its job openings and uses an incident reporting system that tracks events across its programs, but no source described whether the Winslow Township location employed security personnel, panic buttons or specific lobby screening procedures on the day of the incident.

A detention hearing date had not been publicly scheduled as of June 6. Ayers’ motive is under investigation; he remains innocent until proven guilty. The Camden County Prosecutor's Office asks anyone with information to contact Detective Felicia Tilton at 856-225-8432.

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Sources

• Jim Walsh, "Man threatened coworkers, tried to set a fire at Oaks Integrated Care," Courier-Post (June 5, 2026)

• "South Jersey nurse accused of setting fires at apartment, workplace," 6abc/WPVI (June 6, 2026)

• "Gloucester Township nurse arson," NJ 101.5 (June 5, 2026)

• "South Jersey nurse accused of setting fires at apartment, workplace," Yahoo News (June 6, 2026)

• "New Jersey man doused workplace in gasoline in series of arsons, officials say," CBS News Philadelphia (June 5, 2026)

• "NJ nurse arrested for arsons, threatening coworkers," NBC Philadelphia (June 4, 2026)

• "NJ man charged with arson, attempted murder for fires at apartment, workplace," Fox 29 (June 4, 2026)

• NJ Department of Human Services, Directory of Mental Health Services (undated)

• Oaks Integrated Care, Hiring Requirements (July 2025)

• "Nonprofit health groups in Central and South Jersey merge," ROI-NJ (December 8, 2025)

• Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Press Release (June 4, 2026)

• NJ Revised Statutes, Section 2C:11-3 (2025)

• NJ Revised Statutes, Section 2C:13-1 (2025)

• NJ Revised Statutes, Section 2C:5-4 (2025)

• NJ Revised Statutes, Section 2C:43-6 (2025)