Waretown Man Charged In Connection With Setting Jones Road Wildfire
Thursday, April 24, 2025, 12:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ.- On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, a 19-year-old Waretown, New Jersey, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with setting a fire that, as of Wednesday night, has burned over 15,000 acres of land throughout the southern Ocean County, New Jersey, area.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, following a swift-moving and extensive investigation by local and state law enforcement agencies, Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, New Jersey, was taken into custody on Wednesday and formally charged with Aggravated Arson; and Arson.
The charges stem from an investigation that began on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, when, around 9:45 a.m., the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower spotted a column of smoke coming from the area of Jones and Bryant Roads in Ocean Township. Fire Personnel were dispatched to the area.
Upon arrival, Emergency Fire personnel located a fire within the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust’s Forked River Mountain Wilderness Area, which is located on the east side of Jones Road.
Investigators Determine The Fire Started By Bonfire
During the ensuing investigation, members of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and the New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of the fire was started by an improperly extinguished bonfire.
Further investigation determined that Kling had allegedly started the bonfire and failed to properly extinguish the bonfire. Kling was processed on the charges and was remanded to the Ocean County Jail, pending future court proceedings in Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River, New Jersey. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion with the court to have Kling detained pending trial.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
