Authorities have charged a man with arson for allegedly sparking a large fire currently ongoing in the New Jersey Pine Barrens area that sparked air quality alerts for New York City and nearby areas.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday announced the arrest of 19-year-old Joseph Kling from Waretown, New Jersey, and charged him with arson and aggravated arson in the fire that’s still burning in southern New Jersey, which they described as having started from “an improperly extinguished bonfire.”
There were no injuries or deaths in the fire, but a commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed, officials said. About 5,000 people had been evacuated but were permitted to return home on Wednesday, officials said….