Man charged with arson after authorities say he sparked New Jersey Pine Barrens fire

A man set a bonfire using wooden pallets in New Jersey's Pine Barrens and left them without fully extinguishing the blaze, sparking a quick-moving wildfire with smoke affecting air quality in the New York City area, authorities said Thursday.

Authorities arrested Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, New Jersey, and charged him with arson and aggravated arson in the fire that's still burning in southern New Jersey. The wildfire was described as starting with “an improperly extinguished bonfire.”

Judge James Gluck told Kling during a brief court appearance Thursday the state sought to have him detained pending trial and he wouldn't be released. Kling spoke briefly, only to clarify that his next court appearance was set for Tuesday. “Thank you. Have a good day,” he said when the judge dismissed him.

A public defender representing Kling during the hearing told the judge she had “nothing further” when he asked.

Emails from the public defender's office said Thursday it could not comment on a pending case so early in the process. A voice message was left at a possible phone number for Kling.

Authorities first spotted the blaze Tuesday morning from a fire tower when a smoke column appeared amid the pines. Law enforcement said they used a GPS to plot the origin of the fire and determined the cause was a bonfire that hadn't been put out.

Speaking Thursday afternoon at a news conference, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said “we can confidently say that we think the fire was set intentionally.” He declined further comment on why authorities believe Kling was responsible and other matters related to the investigation since it remains ongoing.

It's peak forest fire season in the vast pine wilderness that covers more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) — an area roughly as large as the Grand Canyon — and firefighters are contending with low humidity and the aftermath of a monthslong drought in the region.

Though large tracts of the Pine Barrens are uninhabited, New Jersey is the nation's most densely populated state and officials have warned the fire could threaten developments nearby. The fire had grown to more than 23.8 square miles (61.6 square kilometers) on Thursday, approaching what officials believe to have been the largest wildfire in the state in the last two decades.

Authorities had said there were no injuries or deaths in the fire, but a commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed. About 5,000 people had been evacuated but were permitted to return home on Wednesday, officials said.

“This is still a very active fire,” LaTourette said Wednesday. “As we continue to get this under full control the expectation is that the number of acres will grow and will grow in a place that is unpopulated.”

Jim and Lenore Thoms, who own a business in an industrial park near the blaze, called the fire “a very scary experience” and praised the efforts of firefighters.

“The firefighters were phenomenal, they saved this whole park.” Jim Thoms said. “If they weren’t around, the way things were going on, you might not have seen any buildings at all.”

The effects of the fire are beginning to be seen beyond the state.

Higher-than-normal pollution levels were forecast Thursday in New York City, Rockland and Westchester counties, and in Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk counties, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said. The fire is roughly 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of New York City.

It said “going indoors may reduce exposure” to problems such as eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath.

In New York, dry conditions across the state are resulting in a high fire danger rating in several regions including New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, and portions of the North Country, according to the advisory. The rest of the state is at a moderate or low level of fire danger.

Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in recent years, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles (67 square kilometers).

Acting New Jersey Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency Wednesday, and officials said Thursday that they’ve contained about 50% of the wildfire. Gov. Phil Murphy is on an official visit in Poland for a Holocaust memorial. He's due to fly back home Friday.

Video released by the state agency overseeing the fire service showed billowing white and black clouds of smoke, intense flames engulfing pines and firefighters dousing a charred structure.

The Pine Barrens sit between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east. In the region with quick-draining sandy soil and trees with still-developing leaves, humidity remains low and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.

Bruce Shipkowski in Chatsworth, New Jersey; Hallie Golden in Seattle and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

This image provided by the Ocean County, N.J., Jail shows Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, N.J., who is charged with arson and aggravated arson in a wildfire that's still burning in southern New Jersey, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Ocean County Jail via AP)

Smoke fills the air from a wildfire in Ocean County, N.J. on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (WPVI-TV via AP)

Smoke fills the air from a wildfire in Ocean County, N.J. on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (WPVI-TV via AP)

Smoke fills the air from a wildfire in Ocean County, N.J. on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (WPVI-TV via AP)

Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Damage from a wildfire is seen Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Ocean Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Damage from a wildfire is seen Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Carmine, of Waretown, and his dog Amber sit outside an evacuation center at Southern Regional High School during wildfires on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Stafford Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

A Waretown volunteer firefighter helps prepare a firetruck to respond to a wildfire on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

People head into an evacuation shelter at Southern Regional High School from wildfires on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Stafford Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Waretown Volunteer Fire Company firefighters prepare to respond to a wildfire on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Smoke rises from a wildfire early Wednesday, April 23, 2025, near Barnegat Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Firefighters battle a house fire Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Firefighters battle a house fire Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

A fire burns on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

LONDON (AP) — The U.K.'s home secretary on Wednesday urged the head of one of the country's leading police forces to resign following a report on how fans from Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from a match against Premier League side Aston Villa in Birmingham last year.

Shabana Mahmood told lawmakers that the independent report found “a failure of leadership” on the part of West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, adding that he "no longer has my confidence.”

The ban came at a time of heightened concerns about antisemitism in Britain following a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue and calls from Palestinians and their supporters for a sports boycott of Israel over the war with Hamas in Gaza.

The decision to ban Maccabi fans from the match with Aston Villa on Nov. 6 was widely criticized, including by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

West Midlands Police said at the time it had deemed the match to be high risk “based on current intelligence and previous incidents,” including violence and hate crimes that took place when Maccabi played Ajax in Amsterdam last season.

Guildford did not immediately comment on the report Wednesday but West Midlands Police said “mistakes were made” without mentioning its chief constable.

Mahmood said the report by the chief inspector of constabulary, Andy Cooke, found that West Midlands Police had overstated the threat posed by Maccabi fans while understating the potential risks to them, and “conducted little engagement with the Jewish community" before a decision was taken.

She said the report noted that "the force sought only the evidence to support their desired position to ban the fans.” The report did not find the police force was antisemitic.

Mahmood also noted a police reference at the time to a nonexistent match between Maccabi and Premier League side West Ham in 2023, which was deemed to be an “AI hallucination.” Guildford previously denied that AI was to blame for that error but apologized for it Wednesday ahead of the report’s publication.

Mahmood said she didn't have the power to fire Guildford as a result of a policy change by the previous Conservative government in 2011, but she was looking to reinstate that power to home secretaries. Currently, locally elected police and crime commissioners have that power.

Simon Foster, the West Midlands commissioner, acknowledged the “significant strength of feeling” surrounding the controversy and said he would seek further answers from Guildford at a public meeting on Jan. 27 of his accountability and governance board.

FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, is reflected as Britain's Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaks to members of the Jewish community at the Community Security Trust (CST) in north west London, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Carlos Jasso, Pool Photo via AP, file)

FILE - Maccabi Tel Aviv's fan is escorted by police ahead of the Europa League soccer match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham, England, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, file)