Teenager charged with arson in New Jersey wildfire

STORY: :: New Jersey Dept. of Environmental ProtectionNew Jersey officials on Thursday said they charged a teenager with arson, linked to a massive wildfire in the state's Pinelands that was one of its worst in state history.:: April 23, 2025The Ocean County prosecutor's office identified the suspect as 19-year-old Joseph Kling.In a statement, it said Kling had set wooden pallets on fire – and then left the area without the fire being fully extinguished.Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said the teen will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law:"I can say publicly, that we were able to place him at the scene and we have some witness statements that corroborate that.""I'm not prepared to discuss the motive at this time, nor does the state have to prove what the motive is. We can just confidently say that we think the fire was set intentionally."The fire had scorched some 15,000 acres and destroyed a commercial building, according to the authorities.The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the blaze had been 50% contained by Wednesday evening.But fire chief Bill Donnelly said rainfall would be needed to fully extinguish it:"The fire's consuming the unburned fuels and once that's completed and those unburned fuels burn up, we should see the smoke subside. Now you're going to see little smokes along the road and things like that there. And when you do, you know, our folks are going out there and are mopping them up. So this is probably going to continue at least burning little fires and some smoke up until we get the rain that's forecasted for Saturday."The blaze is no longer a threat to populated areas. Though it's still one of the New Jersey's largest fires, behind a fire in May 2007 which consumed 17,000 acres.

STORY: :: New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection New Jersey officials on Thursday said they charged a teenager with arson, linked to a massive wildfire in the state's Pinelands that was one of its worst in state history. :: April 23, 2025 The Ocean County prosecutor's office identified the suspect as 19-year-old Joseph Kling.

In a statement, it said Kling had set wooden pallets on fire – and then left the area without the fire being fully extinguished. Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said the teen will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law: "I can say publicly, that we were able to place him at the scene and we have some witness statements that corroborate that.

" "I'm not prepared to discuss the motive at this time, nor does the state have to prove what the motive is. We can just confidently say that we think the fire was set intentionally." The fire had scorched some 15,000 acres and destroyed a commercial building, according to the authorities.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the blaze had been 50% contained by Wednesday evening. But fire chief Bill Donnelly said rainfall would be needed to fully extinguish it: "The fire's consuming the unburned fuels and once that's completed and those unburned fuels burn up, we should see the smoke subside. Now you're going to see little smokes along the road and things like that there.

And when you do, you know, our folks are going out there and are mopping them up. So this is probably going to continue at least burning little fires and some smoke up until we get the rain that's forecasted for Saturday." The blaze is no longer a threat to populated areas.

Though it's still one of the New Jersey's largest fires, behind a fire in May 2007 which consumed 17,000 acres..