Latest news with #OceanCountyNaturalLandsTrust
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
NJ man accused of starting Pine Barrens fire blamed ‘Mexicans'
The New Jersey man charged with sparking a wildfire that ravaged parts of the Pine Barrens in Ocean County attempted to deny responsibility, blaming it instead on two 'Mexicans' he could not name, police said. Joseph Kling and a second suspect, identified only as a 17-year-old male, both 'gave misinformation to law enforcement about' the origins of the blaze they are accused of starting on April 22, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. The flames were first spotted within the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust's Forked River Mountain, after the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower reported a large column of smoke in the area of Jones Road and Bryant Road in Ocean Township. In the weeks since, firefighters have struggled to contain the wildfire, which has burned through more than 15,000 acres of land. On Tuesday, crews confirmed the blaze was about 90% contained, thanks in part to the weekend rainfall. Kling was arrested last month and has been charged with counts including arson, aggravated arson and hindering apprehension, according to authorities. On, Friday, officials announced a second arrest in the case, a juvenile suspect who is facing the same charges. Prosecutors say the pair gathered up wooden pallets from Sonny's Recycling Center and then took them to a wooded area off Jones Road, where they allegedly started a fire using gasoline. Billhimer said an 'investigation revealed Kling was the individual responsible for setting wooden pallets on fire — and then leaving the area without the fire being fully extinguished.' He added that authorities later determined a 'juvenile assisted in setting the wooden pallets on fire and also left the area without the fire being fully extinguished.' During subsequent interviews with law enforcement, both suspects said they saw a pair of 'Mexicans' in the woods before the fire started, according to NJ Advanced Media. Judge Pamela Snyder scolded Kling during a court appearance on Monday for lying to police. Despite a push from prosecutors to keep him behind bars, Snyder released Kling with an ankle monitor and ordered that he remain under home confinement until his next court appearance, ABC 6 reported. Kling's attorney, Joseph Compitello, has acknowledged his client was at the bonfire, noting that there were 'at least four or five other carloads of individuals at this location.' 'This bonfire is apparently somewhat common,' he told NBC Philadelphia. 'There's going to be culpability to be extended to others.' Kling is due back in court on May 19. If convicted on the arson charge, he faces up to a decade in prison.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
19-year-old charged in connection with massive New Jersey wildfire
A 19-year-old from Ocean Township, New Jersey, is accused of starting a massive wildfire that prompted thousands of evacuations, burned around 15,000 acres and destroyed a commercial building. Joseph Kling was arrested and charged with aggravated arson and arson, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday. The fire, named the Jones Road Wildfire, erupted Tuesday in Waretown and has spread throughout the southern Ocean County area. Prosecutors accused Kling of setting wooden pallets on fire and then leaving the area without ensuring that the fire was fully extinguished. As of Thursday morning, it was 50% contained. There have been no reports of deaths or loss of homes. The Cedar Bridge Fire Tower located a plume of smoke coming from the area of Jones Road and Bryant Road in Ocean Township just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Emergency personnel observed a fire within the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust's Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area. The cause of the fire was determined to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire, the prosecutor's office said in a news release. Kling is being held at the Ocean County jail pending a detention hearing. The inferno has burned about 15,000 acres in Ocean and Lacey Townships, New Jersey Forest Fire Service said Thursday morning in an update on Facebook. Eight structures have been threatened, and one commercial building was destroyed. About 5,000 residents were evacuated, but evacuations have since been lifted. On Wednesday, acting New Jersey Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency. Fire officials and Shawn M. LaTourette, state commissioner of environmental protection, have said that the fire is expected to burn for a couple more days. LaTourette said it could end up being the biggest wildfire in the state in 20 years. "Thanks to the incredible, heroic work of the good men and women of our New Jersey Forest Fire Service, folks' homes and lives have been saved and we've truly averted a major disaster," he said Wednesday. "Now, this wildfire is not under full and complete control. We still have a lot of work to do to achieve complete containment of the wildfire." This article was originally published on
NBC News
24-04-2025
- NBC News
19-year-old charged in connection with massive New Jersey wildfire
A 19-year-old from Ocean Township, New Jersey, is accused of starting a massive wildfire that prompted thousands of evacuations, burned around 15,000 acres, and destroyed a commercial building. Joseph Kling was arrested and charged with aggravated arson and arson, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday. The fire, named the Jones Road Wildfire, erupted Tuesday in Waretown and has spread throughout the southern Ocean County area. Prosecutors accused Kling of setting wooden pallets on fire and then leaving the area without ensuring that the fire was fully extinguished. As of Thursday morning, it was 50% contained. There have been no reports of deaths or loss of homes. The Cedar Bridge Fire Tower located a plume of smoke coming from the area of Jones Road and Bryant Road in Ocean Township just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Emergency personnel observed a fire within the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust's Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area. The cause of the fire was determined to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire, the prosecutor's office said in a news release. Kling is being held at the Ocean County jail pending a detention hearing. The inferno has burned about 15,000 acres in Ocean and Lacey Townships, New Jersey Forest Fire Service said in a Thursday morning update on Facebook. Eight structures have been threatened, and one commercial building was destroyed. About 5,000 residents were evacuated, but evacuations have since been lifted. On Wednesday, acting New Jersey Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency. Fire officials and Shawn M. LaTourette, state commissioner of environmental protection, have said that the fire is expected to burn for a couple more days. LaTourette said it could end up being the biggest wildfire in the state in 20 years. "Thanks to the incredible, heroic work of the good men and women of our New Jersey Forest Fire Service, folks' homes and lives have been saved and we've truly averted a major disaster," he said Wednesday. "Now, this wildfire is not under full and complete control. We still have a lot of work to do to achieve complete containment of the wildfire."
