Joseph Kling, the 19-year-old New Jersey man who has been charged with setting a bonfire that has grown to encompass thousands of acres in Ocean County appeared in court on Thursday. 온라인카지노사이트10’s Brian Sheehan has the latest details.
A teenager is accused of that continues to burn in Ocean County, New Jersey.
Joseph Kling, 19, of Ocean Township (Waretown) was arrested and charged with aggravated arson and arson, officials announced on Thursday, April 24.
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"We are confident that he intentionally set a fire," Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Billhimer did not disclose just how officials determined that Kling was a suspect in this incident, but he said prosecutors were confident that they had named the right person who, allegedly, ignited the destructive wildfire.
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"We used some investigative techniques that I don't necessarily want to disclose at this time," Billhimer said. "But, some technological advances, I can say, publicly, that we were able to place him at the scene."
On April 22, around 9:45 a.m., officials spotted smoke coming from the area of Jones and Bryant roads in Ocean Township. Responding emergency personnel then spotted the fire within the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust’s Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area on the east side of Jones Road.
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Over the span of three days, the fire burned around 15,000 acres in Ocean County, destroying a business, closing roads and at one point forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. As of Thursday, it was 50% contained. Officials say it could end up being New Jersey's largest wildfire in the past 20 years.
Investigators believe the fire was caused by an improperly extinguished bonfire.
Officials said a teenager, later identified as Kling, set wooden pallets on fire and then left the area without the fire being fully extinguished.
Kling was taken into custody at Ocean Township Police headquarters. He was then transported to the Ocean County Jail where he remains in custody pending a detention hearing.
A judge has denied bail for Kling and his next court appearance will be on Tuesday, April 28, 2025.
The New Jersey Office of the Public Defender released this statement when asked about Kling's case: "The New Jersey Office of the Public Defender cannot comment on pending cases at this early stage of the legal process, other than to remind everyone that individuals are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law."
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