By: Richard L. Smith
A 17-year-old male and 19-year-old Joseph Kling of Waretown are facing serious charges in connection with the massive wildfire that swept through parts of southern Ocean County last month, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
Authorities said the fire, which began on April 22, 2025, near Jones Road and Bryant Road in Waretown, ultimately scorched approximately 15,300 acres across Waretown and Lacey Township and destroyed a commercial building.
Investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the blaze was caused by an improperly extinguished bonfire.
Using GPS technology, officials traced the origin of the fire to the Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area.
Kling was initially charged with aggravated arson and arson on April 23 and remains at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
The second teen, a juvenile who allegedly helped ignite wooden pallets and later misled investigators about the fire’s cause, was charged on May 1 with aggravated arson, arson, and hindering apprehension.
He is currently held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.
Prosecutors added that Kling also provided false information to authorities, leading to an additional charge of hindering apprehension served to him at the jail on May 1.
The investigation into the wildfire remains ongoing.