Second person charged with setting Jones Road Wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey
A 17-year-old is in custody and has been criminally charged after authorities said he was partially responsible for the massive Jones Road Wildfire that has burned thousands of acres in Lacey and Ocean townships in New Jersey.
The teenager was not identified, but Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced he is facing charges of aggravated arson, arson and hindering apprehension. The teen is the second suspect charged with setting the fire.
The first suspect charged, 19-year-old Joseph Kling of Waretown, New Jersey, is facing a new charge of hindering apprehension – for allegedly giving false information to law enforcement, Billhimer said in a news release.
Kling was already facing arson charges and was set to appear before a judge in Toms River on Friday for a detention hearing.
The fire broke out on April 22, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. As of April 28, it had burned over 15,000 acres and was 80% contained, the service said.
Authorities said the 17-year-old helped Kling start a bonfire with wooden pallets, and then both left the area without properly extinguishing the bonfire. Members of the NJFFS, the Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad in Billhimer's office and the New Jersey State Fire Marshal's Office investigated with GPS and found the wildfire began at the site of the bonfire.
Billhimer also alleged the younger teen "gave misinformation to law enforcement about how the fire started," according to the release.
The 17-year-old is currently in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.
