Latest news with #BradleyBillhimer
CBS News
12-05-2025
- CBS News
Jones Road fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, is 100% contained, officials say
The Jones Road wildfire in Ocean County is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service announced Monday afternoon. As of 2 p.m., the service said the 15,300-acre fire burning in Ocean and Lacey townships was contained. The fire started on April 22 at the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area. Thousands were evacuated because of the fire late last month, and at least one business lost a facility. At its height, the blaze also caused some road closures and power outages. Two people — 19-year-old Joseph Kling of Waretown, New Jersey, and a 17-year-old who has not been identified — have been charged with starting the blaze. Kling faces arson and aggravated arson charges. Authorities said the 17-year-old helped Kling start a bonfire with wooden pallets, and then both left the area without properly extinguishing the fire. Members of the NJFFS, the Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad in the Ocean County prosecutor's office and the New Jersey State Fire Marshal's Office investigated with GPS and found the wildfire began at the site of the bonfire. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer also alleged the younger teen "gave misinformation to law enforcement about how the fire started," according to a news release. Meanwhile, the NJFFS is warning residents about a scam targeting Ocean and Lacey township residents affected by the fire. Officials say scammers are going door to door claiming they can remove the smell of smoke from homes for $30,000, which they say can be reimbursed through FEMA. Officials say FEMA has not issued a disaster declaration for this fire and urge residents to report suspicious activity to police.
CBS News
09-03-2025
- CBS News
Driver was going over 100 mph before fatal crash in Toms River, New Jersey, prosecutors say
An unlicensed juvenile was allegedly driving over 100 mph before causing a fatal crash in Toms River, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office said. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said the young male driver was arrested shortly after the crash on Friday, March 7, and charged with manslaughter, assault and numerous other counts related to the collision at the intersection of Route 37 and Route 166. Officials said the driver was first seen speeding in a white BMW over the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge around 10:45 p.m. Toms River Township Police officers initially tried to pull over the car, but stopped their pursuit for safety reasons, the OCPO said. The same car was seen a short time later traveling 118 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone along Route 35 by Seaside Heights Police, prosecutors said. Toms River police caught up with the car again on Route 37, where officials said officers "followed the vehicle from a distance, but did not pursue for safety reasons." Just before 11 p.m., the BMW crashed into a Toyota Camry, killing the Camry driver and a passenger inside the car. Two people riding in the back of the Camry were "severely injured," the prosecutors office said, and taken to nearby hospitals where they were placed in critical condition. The BMW driver, identified as a juvenile who didn't have a valid New Jersey driver's license, wasn't hurt in the crash and arrested at the scene. The prosecutor's office said investigators got a warrant for a blood draw on the driver, the results of which are still pending. A passenger in the front of the BMW was treated for his injuries at the hospital and eventually released; a backseat passenger was also taken to Community Medical Center where he was treated and sent home. The BMW driver is currently being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.
