Teen charged in New Jersey fire denies responsibility for blaze: 'I kicked dirt on it'
TOMS RIVER, NJ — A New Jersey man accused of sparking a massive wildfire in central New Jersey in April denied responsibility for the blaze, saying other people with him should have extinguished the fire.
Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, was charged with aggravated arson, arson, and hindering apprehension in connection with the Jones Road wildfire on April 23, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. The fire erupted on April 22 in Waretown — an unincorporated community on the Jersey Shore — and rapidly spread throughout the southern Ocean County area.
The fire, determined to be the second largest in New Jersey in the past 20 years, consumed more than 15,000 acres of the Pine Barrens and destroyed at least one building and multiple outbuildings and vehicles. The blaze was declared 100% contained on May 12, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
The cause of the fire was determined to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire, according to authorities. Prosecutors accused Kling of setting wooden pallets on fire and then leaving the area without the fire being fully extinguished.
Following a brief court appearance on May 19, Kling told reporters there were 19 other people present at that bonfire, and 16 of them remained there when he left to help a friend in a dirt bike accident. Kling also said he tried to put out the fire before he left by kicking dirt on it.
"I told them (the police) there were other people down there, and they ignored me," Kling said in front of the Ocean County Justice Complex with an electronic monitoring device visible on his ankle. "I kicked dirt on it and everything. I had the flame almost out."
Following his arrest, Kling had been held in the Ocean County Jail until May 5, when Superior Court Judge Pamela Snyder placed him in home detention with an electronic monitoring anklet. The suspect is also charged in an unrelated case with simple assault and endangering an injured person in connection with a brawl that took place in the woods in Lacey in January.
Teen charged with setting wildfire
A second teenage boy was also arrested in connection with the Jones Road wildfire. A 17-year-old, who was identified in court documents as the person who crashed his dirt bike, was charged with aggravated arson and hindering apprehension, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said on May 2.
Gregory Lenzi, an assistant prosecutor for Ocean County, said the two defendants lied to police by falsely telling them that Mexican people started the blaze. An examination of phones belonging to both defendants revealed a chat between the two "appearing to refute the claim that Mexicans started the fire," according to Lenzi.
Lenzi also noted that two others who were in the woods at the time of the incident told police that only the four of them were present when Kling placed two wooden pallets in a pit with gasoline and a gas-soaked item and lit it on fire. Those two people were identified in court documents as the defendants' girlfriends.
"We caused the fire," the girlfriend of the 17-year-old defendant charged in the case said in a Snapchat conversation with a classmate, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Snapchat is a social media and instant messaging app where users can send videos, pictures, and messages that are usually only available for a short period.
Defense attorney argues Kling did not start the wildfire
In response to Kling's comments on May 19, Billhimer said the investigation remains ongoing.
"It would be inappropriate for us to offer further comment regarding the proofs," Billhimer said. "I will say that we look forward to trying this case in a courtroom, not on the courthouse steps."
Kling's attorney, Joseph Compitello, said he expects more people to be prosecuted for the fire after a full investigation. The defense attorney insisted his client did not start the fire.
Compitello said Kling "was unfortunately pinpointed, he was taken preemptively, and his statements, which have been consistent from day one, have been ignored, pushed aside," and not taken seriously.
Julie Peterson, an assistant prosecutor for Ocean County, said at a news conference that no plea offer has been extended to Kling due to the active investigation. She said there still may be additional victims coming forward.
"The state is still gathering information to get a big picture of the damage in the area," Peterson told Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Paste BN