After a quick stop at a New Jersey courthouse on Monday, the teen accused of starting a massive wildfire that blazed through about 15,300 acres, destroyed a business, and caused evacuations last month is claiming he’s not to blame for putting out the bonfire that triggered the chaos.
Joseph Kling, a 19-year-old, told NBC Philadelphia’s Ted Greenberg that he had to bounce from a gathering early on the evening of April 21. He and a group of friends had hauled wooden pallets to a remote spot in Ocean Township after one of their buddies got hurt. Kling argued that once he left, it was up to others to douse the flames. “I was the first to split after my buddy wiped out on his dirt bike,” Kling shared outside the court on Monday. His attorney, Joseph Compitello, stood by his side as Kling recounted taking his injured friend to a nearby hospital that day. According to Kling, he took measures to put out the bonfire before leaving. “I kicked dirt on it and stuff. The fire was pretty much out,” he claimed. “And there were other people there too.”
The aftermath of the court appearance saw Kling defending himself against allegations of starting the wildfire that shook Ocean County, New Jersey. He insisted he was the first of a group of around 16 folks to leave the bonfire on the day of the incident. Kling’s lawyer also maintained that his client was not the one who ignited the fire. He stated that there were still about 16 to 20 people around the smoldering bonfire when he departed. Kling and a 17-year-old boy face arson charges after a bonfire, made of wooden pallets and fueled by gasoline, sparked the Jones Road Wildfire on the fateful night of April 21, as reported by the police. Prosecutors claimed that Kling never returned to the bonfire site, even though he saw a red glow before the wildfire erupted. Compitello argued that his client’s version of events from that evening had been disregarded by the prosecution. “At this point, we haven’t seen any evidence linking this bonfire, which he supposedly had a hand in, to the wildfire,” Compitello asserted. The area where authorities pinpointed the wildfire’s origin from a bonfire carries signs warning against fires. The ground there is charred black, indicating that the earth still bears the scars of the blaze. In addition to the wildfire-related charges, Kling and the 17-year-old face accusations of hindering apprehension for allegedly misleading the police with false information. If convicted of second-degree arson, Kling could potentially face up to ten years behind bars.
