Second teen arrested in connection with one of the largest wildfires in New Jersey history
The Jones Road Fire began on April 22 and scorched 15,300 acres, destroying several outbuildings and a commercial building, according to New Jersey's Forest Fire Service.
FILE - New Jersey Jones Road Fire burns forest in Ocean County
Footage shows first responders fighting the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey.
OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. — A second teen has been arrested and charged with arson, accused of helping set fire to the wooden pallets that Ocean County, New Jersey prosecutors say sparked the Jones Road Fire – one of the largest wildfires in the state's history.
County prosecutors charged a 17-year-old boy with aggravated arson. As a minor, his name has not been released.
The Jones Road Fire began on April 22 and scorched 15,300 acres, destroying several outbuildings and a commercial building, according to New Jersey's Forest Fire Service.
The fire is currently 75% contained.
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![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 1 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday.]()
Image 2 of 20Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday. (Ocean Fire Company)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 3 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Charred trees are seen as the Jones Road Fire continues to burn in Ocean County, New Jersey on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Some 3,000 residents were evacuated in the US state of New Jersey after a wildfire exploded in size, scorching thousands of acres and threatening hundreds of structures, the state's fire service said on April 22. New Jersey had been under an official drought warning, the state's Department of Environmental Protection said in March. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP) (Photo by MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images)]()
Image 4 of 20Charred trees are seen as the Jones Road Fire continues to burn in Ocean County, New Jersey on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. ( )
![Smoke from the Jones Road Fire is seen over homes in a neighborhood in Ocean County, New Jersey, on April 23, 2025. Some 3,000 residents were evacuated in the US state of New Jersey after a wildfire exploded in size, scorching thousands of acres and threatening hundreds of structures, the state's fire service said on April 22. New Jersey had been under an official drought warning, the state's Department of Environmental Protection said in March. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP) (Photo by MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images)]()
Image 5 of 20Smoke from the Jones Road Fire is seen over homes in a neighborhood in Ocean County, New Jersey, on April 23, 2025. ( )
![The Jones Road Fire burns in Ocean County, New Jersey, on Wednesday.]()
Image 6 of 20The Jones Road Fire burns in Ocean County, New Jersey, on Wednesday. (Ocean County Sheriff 911)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 7 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 8 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 9 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 10 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 11 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 12 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 13 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![A business structure destroyed by the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey, New Jersey on April 23, 2025.]()
Image 14 of 20A business structure destroyed by the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey, New Jersey on April 23, 2025. ( )
![A business structure destroyed by the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey, New Jersey on April 23, 2025.]()
Image 15 of 20A business structure destroyed by the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey, New Jersey on April 23, 2025. ( )
![Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday.]()
Image 16 of 20Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday. (Ocean Fire Company)
![Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday.]()
Image 17 of 20Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday. (Ocean Fire Company)
![Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning.]()
Image 18 of 20Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning. (Katie Byrne)
![Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning.]()
Image 19 of 20Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning. (Katie Byrne)
![Crews walk along the forest burned from the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey Township on Monday morning.]()
Image 20 of 20Crews walk along the forest burned from the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey Township on Monday morning. ( )
In a news release, prosecutors accused the 17-year-old of helping 19-year-old Joseph Kling of Waretown, New Jersey. Kling was arrested on April 23 for allegedly setting wood pallets on fire in a county wilderness area and leaving the scene without properly putting out the fire.
Prosecutors said investigators used GPS to pinpoint the start of the fire and determined that it was caused by "an improperly extinguished bonfire."
The Jones Road Fire prompted at least 5,000 people to be evacuated and shut down part of the Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey's busiest highways, at the height of the flames.
The fire was fueled by strong gusty winds and low humidity. The U.S. Drought Monitor showed that large parts of New Jersey remain in abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions.
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A New Jersey man has been arrested and is facing arson charges after being accused of starting the Jones Road Wildfire that has consumed more than 15,000 acres in Ocean County since Tuesday.
Kling is being held in county jail pending a detention hearing. The 17-year-old is the county's juvenile detention center.
The 17-year-old is also facing charges of arson and hindering apprehension.