Accused Arsonist Denies Responsibility In Jones Road Wildfire, Report Says

WARETOWN, NJ — The 19-year-old accused of causing the 15,300 acre Jones Road Wildfire denied responsibility, according to a report.

Outside of the Ocean County Courthouse Monday, Joseph Kling told NBC Philadelphia that he wasn't responsible for extinguishing the bonfire in the woods that grew into the massive wildfire that ripped through the Pine Barrens.

Kling, a Waretown resident, told NBC that he tried to extinguish the blaze before taking his friend to the hospital, as he had been in a dirt bike crash. That 17-year-old friend was also charged in the fire.

"I kicked dirt on it and everything. I had the flame almost out," Kling said, according to the report. "And, other people were there."

Kling did kick dirt onto the fire with his pickup truck, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by Patch. At that point in the night, the fire was mostly out, but Kling's girlfriend could still see red under the pallets, according to the affidavit. Kling apparently threw the rest of the pallets on the fire, got in his truck and spun the tires to throw dirt onto the pallets, documents said. They left, but Kling's girlfriend still saw the red, the affidavit said.

Kling also told NBC that there were still 16 to 20 people at the bonfire at the time he left. However, according to the affidavit, both Kling's girlfriend and the 17-year-old's girlfriend said that it was only the four of them there that night.

Kling previously tried to blame the fire on "two Mexicans" nearby, but text conversations between him and his friend refute that claim, according to the affidavit.

Kling's attorney told NBC he hadn't seen any evidence that the bonfire led to the wildfire. GPS coordinates are what linked Kling to the spot where the fire began, according to the affidavit.

Previous reporting:

• 3 Weeks Later, Massive South Jersey Wildfire Receives Final Update
• 'We Caused The Fire," NJ Wildfire Suspect's Girlfriend Admits In Message: Affidavit
• Teen Accused In Massive NJ Wildfire To Be Released From Jail
• Man Charged In 15.3K-Acre Jones Road Wildfire Planned To Blame Mexicans, Prosecutor Says
• 2nd Person Charged In 15.3K-Acre Wildfire Still Burning In South Jersey
• Detention Hearing Delayed For Man Accused Of Arson In Massive NJ Wildfire
• Smoke Conditions From Ocean County Fire To Linger: Here's Why
• Waretown Man Accused Of Starting Jones Road Fire That Burned 15K Acres
• 12K Acre Wildfire Could Grow To NJ's Largest In 20 Years, Officials Say
• 10 Largest Wildfires In New Jersey's History: See Where They Burned, When