The man is being charged with aggravated arson “intent to destroy forests” in connection with the New Jersey wildfire, reportedly one of the state’s largest in the state in the last 20 years, prison records say.
Joseph Kling, 19, of Ocean Township, was also charged with arson on Wednesday, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. News Release.
The cause of the fire was “deemed to be a ceen-like bonfire that had been inappropriately wiped out.”
Jail records show that bail for Kling is not listed.
The wildfire was located in Ocean Township Tuesday morning, officials added that emergency officials had observed the fire in the Forkled River Mountains wilderness area of Ocean County Natural Land Trust. The area is about 60 miles east of Philadelphia and about 10 miles west of the New Jersey coast.
The offices of the prosecutor’s Office’s main crime unit, Arson Corps, New Jersey Forest Fire Department, Ocean County Fire Department, and New Jersey Fire Department, plotted the origins of the fire through GPS, saying the cause of the fire was “deterred to be incited by an improperly eliminated bonfire.”
Kling burned the wooden pallet and left the area without completely erasing the fire, the prosecutor’s office said.
Kling was taken into custody at Ocean Township Police Headquarters before being taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he awaits a detention hearing, officials said.
Wildfires have been one of the biggest in New Jersey in the last 20 years. Patch reported. The Wildfire is 50% contained, officials said Thursday.
You can view video reports here About the arrest.
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WPVI-TV said This covers over a million acres and is the size of the Grand Canyon.
New Jersey Lt. Colonel Taheshaway (d) declared a state of emergency in response to a wildfire, the station said.
The growing wildfires forced 5,000 residents to evacuate Tuesday night, WPVI said, citing New Jersey forest firefighters. All evacuation orders were lifted at 6:30am Wednesday, the station said.
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