Dead Body Found In Charred Car At Scene Of Plumsted Brush Fire

PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP, NJ - At first the smoke in the area of Route 539 and the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area was assumed to be a brush fire.

But when firefighters from the Joint Base Fire Department got closer in the early evening of May 1, it was much more than that.

About a mile into the woods, they found a vehicle on the side of Hawkins Road, with significant fire and heat damage. When they looked even closer, they found a deceased person in the driver's side of the vehicle, said Capt. Jack Sramaty, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

"It appears at this time that there is no foul play, however, the investigation is continuing and the exact cause of and manner of death has not yet been determined, Sramaty said. "The identity of the deceased is pending autopsy results and has not yet been determined."

The incident is under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal's Office, Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, New Jersey State Fire Marshal's Office, Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Plumsted Township, he said.

Image: Patch file photo