More Arrests Possible In 'Intentionally Set' Bonfire That Spread To 15K Acres In NJ

WARETOWN, NJ — Authorities are "very confident" that a 19-year-old from Waretown who was burning pallets ignited the wildfire that's burned through about 15,000 acres of Pinelands in southern Ocean County, authorities said Thursday.

Joseph Kling was charged with arson and aggravated arson on April 23 in connection with the Jones Road Wildfire, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette and Township of Ocean Police Chief Michal Rogalski said in a joint release.

"We believe he is the person responsible for starting this fire and we intend to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law," Billhimer told reporters Thursday afternoon at a press conference. He also said authorities haven't ruled out additional arrests being made. A motive has not been shared.

A multi-department investigation discovered the cause of the fire to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire.

Kling had been setting wooden pallets on fire in the area of the Forked River Mountains - and then left the area without the fire being fully extinguished, authorities said. That location is close to where Kling lives, authorities said.

Authorities used GPS and other advanced technology that Billhimer wouldn't publicly disclose to identify Kling as the suspect. However, Billhimer said he was "very confident" that Kling was responsible, and that the fire was "intentionally set" rather than accidental.

That bonfire has now become one of the biggest wildfires New Jersey has seen in the past 20 years.

Billhimer also acknowledged video circulating on social media that appears to show Kling and others near a bonfire. He said that he believes it was an older video and not from the night of the fire, and that it is part of the larger, ongoing investigation.

Kling was taken into custody in Waretown and transferred to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains pending a detention hearing.

Additional reporting:

• 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
• Roads Reopen, Evacuations End As Southern Ocean Wildfire Grows
• Wildfire Power Outage Keeps Businesses Closed In Southern Ocean
• Oyster Creek Owner Clarifies Plant Status Amid Wildfire In Lacey
• NJ Farm Evacuates Multiple Horses As Jones Road Wildfire Burns: Report
• Jones Road Wildfire Prompts State Of Emergency In South Jersey
• NJ Wildfire: Pictures, Videos Depict Damage As Fire Rages