Handcuffs (Shorebeat File Photo/ banspy/ Flickr)
A second teen – this time a juvenile – has been charged in connection with the Jones Road wildfire that caused damage to buildings in southern Ocean County and resulted in the evacuation of thousands of residents in Waretown, Lacey and Barnegat.
Last week, authorities announced the arrest of Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, for allegedly starting the fire by burning pallets in the open and leaving the scene before the fire was put out. A continuing investigation revealed that the 17-year-old juvenile, whose name was not divulged publicly, assisted in setting the wooden pallets on fire and also left the area without the fire being fully extinguished, prosecutors announced. It was also determined that the juvenile “gave misinformation to law enforcement about how the fire started.” The juvenile is currently lodged at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.
According to prosecutors, the investigation also revealed that Kling “likewise provided false information to law enforcement as to how the fire started,” leading to Kling being additionally charged with hindering apprehension on May 1, 2025. He was served with the charge at the Ocean County Jail.
The Jones Road fire/Joseph Kling, April 2025. (Credit: NJDEP/ X)
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 Waretown. 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.
As of April 28, 2025, the fire burned approximately 15,300 acres in Waretown and Lacey Township, and destroyed a commercial building.
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