South Jersey man accused of starting a 15,300-acre wildfire is released with an ankle monitor

The 19-year-old South Jersey man who authorities say started a massive wildfire that burned for days in Ocean County last month was ordered released from custody with an electronic ankle monitor on Monday.

Joseph Kling, of Waretown, N.J., who was charged with aggravated arson and related crimes in connection with the 15,300-acre blaze, will remain at the Ocean County correctional facility until the ankle monitor is installed and then be released on house arrest, Superior Court Judge Pamela Snyder said.

Authorities say Kling deliberately started the fire by soaking wooden pallets in gasoline and setting them aflame to start a bonfire that he left unattended. The fire, which began April 21, quickly spread from the Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area to the wilderness of the Pinelands.

As the blaze expanded, the state closed part of the Garden State Parkway, declared a state of emergency, and ordered 5,000 people in Lacey Township to evacuate.

No one was injured in the fire, but several buildings and vehicles were destroyed, and wafting smoke triggered air-quality warnings at the Jersey Shore, in Atlantic City, and as far away as New York City.

Kling‘s attorney, Joe Compitello, said Friday that Kling never intended to burn the woods and said his actions did not amount to arson.

While Snyder disagreed with Assistant Prosecutor Greg Lenzi that Kling should be detained until his trial, the judge said that there are “extraordinary circumstances” that made the round-the-clock monitoring necessary.

Kling, wearing a dark green jumpsuit, spoke only to respond to Snyder’s questions about his ability to abide by the conditions of his release, including checking in with the court, charging the ankle monitor, and attending all upcoming hearings.

Prosecutors said Kling was part of a group at the Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area in Waretown, where he started a bonfire. Someone in the group rode a dirt bike into the woods and crashed, and Kling and the others went to check on him, leaving the bonfire unattended, prosecutors said, and the flames quickly spread to the surrounding area.

Lacey Township police interviewed the dirt bike rider in the hospital and he told them about the bonfire and the wooden pallets Kling set aflame, prosecutors said. He also told police of a scheme to pin the blame on Mexicans whom they would say they had seen in the area, according to prosecutors.

Investigators also found a Snapchat conversation with someone who went to school with Kling who said Kling “caused the fire,” prosecutors said.

Police arrested Kling on April 23.

Kling‘s alleged accomplice, a 17-year-old, was being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center on charges of aggravated arson and related crimes. Authorities have not identified the teen because he is a juvenile.

Lacey Township Mayor Peter Curatolo called the blaze “the worst fire in the history of our township” and said residents were “terrified.”

Kling is next scheduled to appear in court on May 19.