A New Jersey teenager was charged with arson for reportedly starting a blaze that later spread to become a massive 15,000-acre wildfire that forced evacuations and pollution.
The Pine Barrens blaze has grown to more than 20 square miles and officials expect it to continue burning for several more days. On Thursday, Ocean County prosecutors announced that the teen, 19-year-old Joseph King, was charged with aggravated arson and arson in connection with the wildfire.
Teenager Charged With Arson
The fire started in Waretown on Tuesday and has since continued to burn throughout the southern Ocean County area in New Jersey. The Ocean County prosecutor's arson squad conducted an investigation with the help of the state's forest fire service and the county fire marshal's office.
They traced the origin of the blaze via the use of a global positioning system (GPS) and it was determined to have resulted from an improperly extinguished bonfire. Investigators also concluded that Kling was responsible for burning wooden pallets on fire and leaving them before making sure that the blaze was extinguished, according to The Guardian.
Authorities later took the teenager into custody at the Ocean Township police headquarters before transporting him to the Ocean County jail. The latter is where he is currently being held pending a detention hearing related to the arson case.
The fire that Kling started was centered roughly 54 miles south of New York City and has caused elevated pollution levels throughout the area, including in the Rockland, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk counties.
During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Ocean County prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said they believe that Kling intentionally set a fire that started the blaze. Officials first spotted smoke on Apr. 22, 2025, at around 9:45 a.m. from the area of Jones and Bryant roads in Ocean Township, NBC Philadelphia reported.
New Jersey Wildfire
Later, responding emergency personnel saw the fire within the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust's Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area on the east side of Jones Road. The fire burned for three days, engulfing businesses, closing roads, and forcing evacuations.
On Thursday morning, New York health authorities issued a warning that air quality in the area would be degraded because of the smoke from the blaze. Officials recommended vulnerable communities to limit their outdoor activities to avoid getting sick.
The area that the fire burned through, the pine forests of New Jersey, is one of the largest protected areas on the East Coast. The situation comes after the state was put under drought alert in March 2025, as per the Daily Tribune.
