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USA Today
20-05-2025
- USA Today
Teen charged in New Jersey fire denies responsibility for blaze: 'I kicked dirt on it'
Teen charged in New Jersey fire denies responsibility for blaze: 'I kicked dirt on it' Show Caption Hide Caption Joseph Kling, accused of starting the Jones Road wildfire, speaks with media Joseph Kling, accused of starting the Jones Road wildfire, speaks with the media after appearing for an early disposition conference in Toms River. TOMS RIVER, NJ — A New Jersey man accused of sparking a massive wildfire in central New Jersey in April denied responsibility for the blaze, saying other people with him should have extinguished the fire. Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, was charged with aggravated arson, arson, and hindering apprehension in connection with the Jones Road wildfire on April 23, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. The fire erupted on April 22 in Waretown — an unincorporated community on the Jersey Shore — and rapidly spread throughout the southern Ocean County area. The fire, determined to be the second largest in New Jersey in the past 20 years, consumed more than 15,000 acres of the Pine Barrens and destroyed at least one building and multiple outbuildings and vehicles. The blaze was declared 100% contained on May 12, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The cause of the fire was determined to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire, according to authorities. Prosecutors accused Kling of setting wooden pallets on fire and then leaving the area without the fire being fully extinguished. Following a brief court appearance on May 19, Kling told reporters there were 19 other people present at that bonfire, and 16 of them remained there when he left to help a friend in a dirt bike accident. Kling also said he tried to put out the fire before he left by kicking dirt on it. "I told them (the police) there were other people down there, and they ignored me," Kling said in front of the Ocean County Justice Complex with an electronic monitoring device visible on his ankle. "I kicked dirt on it and everything. I had the flame almost out." Following his arrest, Kling had been held in the Ocean County Jail until May 5, when Superior Court Judge Pamela Snyder placed him in home detention with an electronic monitoring anklet. The suspect is also charged in an unrelated case with simple assault and endangering an injured person in connection with a brawl that took place in the woods in Lacey in January. 2025 got off to a deadly start: How bad will wildfire season be in the US this year? Teen charged with setting wildfire A second teenage boy was also arrested in connection with the Jones Road wildfire. A 17-year-old, who was identified in court documents as the person who crashed his dirt bike, was charged with aggravated arson and hindering apprehension, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said on May 2. Gregory Lenzi, an assistant prosecutor for Ocean County, said the two defendants lied to police by falsely telling them that Mexican people started the blaze. An examination of phones belonging to both defendants revealed a chat between the two "appearing to refute the claim that Mexicans started the fire," according to Lenzi. Lenzi also noted that two others who were in the woods at the time of the incident told police that only the four of them were present when Kling placed two wooden pallets in a pit with gasoline and a gas-soaked item and lit it on fire. Those two people were identified in court documents as the defendants' girlfriends. "We caused the fire," the girlfriend of the 17-year-old defendant charged in the case said in a Snapchat conversation with a classmate, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Snapchat is a social media and instant messaging app where users can send videos, pictures, and messages that are usually only available for a short period. What to know: Greer Fire scorches over 20,000 acres across eastern Arizona Defense attorney argues Kling did not start the wildfire In response to Kling's comments on May 19, Billhimer said the investigation remains ongoing. "It would be inappropriate for us to offer further comment regarding the proofs," Billhimer said. "I will say that we look forward to trying this case in a courtroom, not on the courthouse steps." Kling's attorney, Joseph Compitello, said he expects more people to be prosecuted for the fire after a full investigation. The defense attorney insisted his client did not start the fire. Compitello said Kling "was unfortunately pinpointed, he was taken preemptively, and his statements, which have been consistent from day one, have been ignored, pushed aside," and not taken seriously. Julie Peterson, an assistant prosecutor for Ocean County, said at a news conference that no plea offer has been extended to Kling due to the active investigation. She said there still may be additional victims coming forward. "The state is still gathering information to get a big picture of the damage in the area," Peterson told Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan. Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
New York Post
20-05-2025
- New York Post
Teen charged with starting NJ wildfire blames ‘other people' at scene of blaze that burned more than 15K acres
A New Jersey man charged with starting the wildfire that tore through the eastern part of the state last month claimed that he shouldn't be blamed because more than a dozen others present at the time also failed to extinguish the flames. Joseph Kling, 19, was charged with aggravated arson and arson on April 23 for the out-of-control wildfire that tore through southern Ocean County, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said. The fire destroyed around 15,300 acres and was only declared 100% contained on May 12. On April 21, Kling allegedly set a pile of wooden pallets on fire and left without putting it out. 4 Joseph Kling, 19, claimed that more than a dozen others were present when he left the bonfire that later sparked the wildfire. AP 4 The wildfire proceeded to tear through more than 15,000 acres of the Garden State. Getty Images Kling told NBC Philadelphia that he had to leave early to take his friend to the hospital after a gnarly dirt bike crash, but noted that there were still about 16 other people there when he departed. 'There were other people there, and I tried,' Kling insisted to the outlet. 'I kicked dirt on it and everything. I had the flame almost out, and other people were there.' 4 Thousands of residents had to evacuate after the blaze tore through AP 4 A 17-year-old was also charged in connection with the wildfire. AP So far, only Kling and an unidentified 17-year-old have been charged in connection with the Jones Road wildfire. The younger teen faces the same charges as Kling, including a hindering apprehension charge that was tacked on after the two allegedly lied to police and tried to pin the blame on Mexicans, prosecutors said. The fire reportedly started in an isolated area within the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust's Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area. It forced thousands to flee and was one of the largest wildfires recorded in the Garden State in recent years.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
17-year-old charged with arson in connection with New Jersey wildfire
A 17-year-old boy is accused of helping start a massive wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey, that burned thousands of acres and triggered the evacuations of 5,000, officials said. The teenager, whose identity officials did not reveal, was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with aggravated arson, arson, and hindering apprehension, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. The 17-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with the fire, which broke out last Tuesday and has been coined the Jones Road Wildfire. Last week, 19-year-old Joseph Kling was also arrested and charged with arson in the third degree and aggravated arson in the second degree. He has also since been charged with hindering apprehension, the prosecutor's office said. Kling is scheduled to appear in superior court for the first time Friday afternoon, though details about the hearing are not immediately available. Prosecutors accuse Kling and the 17-year-old of setting wooden pallets on fire near Jones Road and Bryant Road in Waretown before leaving the area without fully extinguishing the fire. The Cedar Bridge Fire Tower spotted smoke coming from the location last Tuesday morning, and investigators determined that the cause of the fire was "an improperly extinguished bonfire." Prosecutors said that as of Monday, the fire had burned approximately 15,300 acres in Waretown and Lacey townships and destroyed a commercial building. A spokesperson for the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection told NBC News on Thursday that the Jones Road Wildfire was about 80 percent contained. Both teenagers are also accused of giving law enforcement false information as to how the fire started, which prompted the hindering apprehension charge. According to the prosecutor's office, the 17-year-old is being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center. Kling was at the Ocean County Jail ahead of his detention hearing. It is not clear if the teenager is being represented by an attorney at this time. An attorney for Kling did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This article was originally published on
NBC News
02-05-2025
- NBC News
17-year-old charged with arson in connection with New Jersey wildfire
A 17-year-old boy is accused of helping start a massive wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey, that burned thousands of acres and triggered the evacuations of 5,000, officials said. The teenager, whose identity officials did not reveal, was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with aggravated arson, arson, and hindering apprehension, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. The 17-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with the fire, which broke out last Tuesday and has been coined the Jones Road Wildfire. Last week, 19-year-old Joseph Kling was also arrested and charged with arson in the third degree and aggravated arson in the second degree. He has since been charged with hindering apprehension, the prosecutor's office said. Kling appeared in superior court for the first time Friday morning, though details about the hearing are not immediately available. Prosecutors accuse Kling and the 17-year-old of setting wooden pallets on fire near Jones Road and Bryant Road in Waretown before leaving the area without fully extinguishing the fire. The Cedar Bridge Fire Tower spotted smoke coming from the location last Tuesday morning, and investigators determined that the cause of the fire was "an improperly extinguished bonfire." Prosecutors said that as of Monday, the fire had burned approximately 15,300 acres in Waretown and Lacey townships and destroyed a commercial building. A spokesperson for the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection told NBC News on Thursday that the Jones Road Wildfire was about 80 percent contained. Both teenagers are also accused of giving law enforcement false information as to how the fire started, which prompted the hindering apprehension charge. According to the prosecutor's office, the 17-year-old is being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center. Kling was at the Ocean County Jail ahead of his detention hearing. It is not clear if the teenager is being represented by an attorney at this time. An attorney for Kling did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Old images of drones trigger conspiracy theories about New Jersey fires
"Does anyone else think that maybe just maybe all those Drones flying around New Jersey may have had something to do with this big Forest fire going on right now," says one April 23, 2025 post on Facebook. The post -- and other similar messages blaming drones for the historic blazes that ravaged New Jersey in April -- come after reports of unidentified aircraft flying over the northeastern state dominated social media in late 2024 and early 2025, stoking fears among residents. Some posts have claimed these drones ignited the blazes using directed energy weapons, which harness concentrated electromagnetic energy and are being developed in the United States for drone and missile defense. The wildfires erupted April 22 in the pine forests of New Jersey and grew to 15,000 acres, devastating one of the largest protected areas on the east coast and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. The state was put under drought alert in March (archived here). But the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said in an April 24 statement that "the cause of the fire was determined to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire," alleging that a 19-year-old resident set wooden pallets on fire and then left the area without it being fully extinguished. Authorities charged the individual with aggravated arson. New Jersey's Commissioner of Environmental Protection, Shawn LaTourette, told AFP in an April 23 email that they "have not received any credible report of mysterious drone activity and we are not aware of any legitimate evidence that suggests such activity, if it exists, is related to the cause of the Jones Road Wildfire." The claims about directed energy weapons ignited the blazes are also baseless -- and echo conspiracy theories previously shared about similar disasters. In an article on the technology, Iain Boyd, director of the University of Colorado's Center for National Security Initiatives explained that "the power level needed to ignite vegetation with a high-energy laser from the sky would require a large power source installed on a large aircraft" (archived here and here). As of time of publication, 65 percent of the fire had been contained and evacuation orders fully lifted. Drones are not allowed to fly during fire emergencies. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has repeatedly reminded its residents to refrain from flying recreational drones in fire zones. "Please remember, 'No Drones in Fire Zones - If YOU fly, WE can't!'" the agency said on Facebook April 25 (archived here). The video shared in some of the posts on social media faulting drones for the fire has been online for months, reverse image searches revealed. The clip dates to at least December 2024, when public hysteria over the drone sightings peaked. Despite assurances from the Biden administration, narratives about foreign attacks and UFOs gained massive traction in late 2024. In December, the Department of Defense said an investigation concluded: "To date, we have no intelligence or observations that would indicate that they were aligned with a foreign actor or that they had malicious intent" (archived here). Just after taking office, the Trump administration also responded to the situation. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a January 28, 2025 press briefing: "The drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) for research and various other reasons," (archived here). "Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones," she said, adding: "It got worse due to curiosity, this was not the enemy." AFP has previously debunked similar claims about wildfires and directed energy weapons.
