By: Richard L. Smith
A 37-year-old Brick Township resident has been charged in connection with a wildfire that spread across approximately 350 acres in Jackson Township according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, along with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette, announced that Richard Shashaty has been charged with Arson and Violating Regulatory Provisions Relating to Firearms.
The incident began on November 6, 2024, when the Jackson Township Police and Fire Departments, in coordination with the NJDEP’s Forest Fire Service, responded to reports of a wildfire near the Central Jersey Rifle Range on Stump Tavern Road at around 12:15 p.m.
According to officials, a thorough investigation involving multiple agencies pinpointed the fire’s origin to a berm in the southwest corner of the rifle club. The blaze was traced to magnesium shards from a Dragons Breath 12-gauge shotgun round, an incendiary type of ammunition prohibited under New Jersey law, which ignited combustibles on the range’s berm.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities determined that Shashaty was responsible for discharging the prohibited ammunition, sparking the massive blaze.
On November 9, Shashaty turned himself in at the Jackson Township Police Headquarters, accompanied by his attorney. He is currently held at the Ocean County Jail, pending a detention hearing.
The investigation involved extensive collaboration among multiple law enforcement and emergency response agencies, including the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Jackson Township Police Department Detective Bureau, New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office, New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
The use of incendiary or tracer ammunition is tightly regulated in New Jersey, where such rounds are banned due to their high risk of igniting wildfires.
This case stressed the serious consequences of violating these laws and the dedication of local authorities to safeguarding public lands from preventable disasters.
