Man Arrested, Charged with Aggravated Arson in Connection with the Raging New Jersey Wildfire

A man has been arrested for aggravated arson in connection with the raging wildfire in New Jersey, according to authorities.

Authorities have arrested 19-year-old Joseph Kling of Ocean County, as he has been accused of sparking the wildfires, which they say began with Kling’s pallet bonfire on April 22.

According to reports, authorities believe Kling did not properly check to ensure that the flames were completely extinguished, leading to the devastation, burning at least 15,000 acres.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced the charge of aggravated arson.

“On April 22, 2025, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower located a column of smoke coming from the area of Jones Road and Bryant Road in Ocean Township. Upon arrival, emergency personnel observed a fire within the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust’s Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area, which is on the east side of Jones Road,” the New Jersey Forest Fire Service detailed in a post on social media.

“A thorough and extensive investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office, plotted the origin of the fire via Global Positioning System (GPS). The cause of the fire was determined to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire,” the New Jersey Forest Fire Service continued, noting that the investigation found Kling to be responsible. He has since been transported to the Ocean County Jail.

AccuWeather described the blaze as “one of the biggest the state has seen in decades, quickly spread through dry brush in the Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area, ultimately destroying a commercial building and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.”

At the time of this writing, the fire was 50 percent contained.