'I had the flame almost out': Teen charged in New Jersey wildfire defends actions

Teen charged with starting NJ wildfire blames ‘other people’ at scene of blaze that burned more than 15K acres

Joseph Kling, 19, insists "other people" were at the scene of the blaze that sparked the New Jersey wildfires that destroyed 15,000 acres in Ocean County.

'I had the flame almost out': Man charged in New Jersey wildfire says he shouldn't be held responsible

A New Jersey man charged with starting the massive Jones Road wildfire last month says he shouldn’t be held responsible for the blaze because others who were with him should have snuffed it out.

'I had the flame almost out': Teen charged in New Jersey wildfire defends actions

After making a brief appearance in a New Jersey courtroom on Monday, the teen charged with starting a massive wildfire that tore through about 15,300 acres, destroyed a business and forced evacuations last month argued that he wasn’t responsible for extinguishing the bonfire that set off the incident. On Monday, Joseph Kling, 19, told NBC10’s Ted Greenberg that he had to leave a gathering on the evening on April 21, 2025, where he and a group o…

One of those accused of starting the Jones Road forest fire in NJ last April had his court date on Monday to say that he was not responsible for having neglected the fire that started the flames. This is 19-year-old Joseph Kling, who was charged with arson for the sinister that took up about 15,300 acres of land, destroyed a business and forced evictions in Ocean County. Kling revealed to our sister network NBC10 that he had to leave the site on…