Ocean County prosecutors have charged 19-year-old Joseph Kling with starting New Jersey’s worst wildfire in years, which is still burning and has now grown to more than 15,000 acres in size across Waretown and Lacey Townships.

Kling, of Waretown, allegedly set wooden pallets on fire and then left the area without extinguishing the bonfire properly. He is currently being held in Ocean County Jail, charged with Aggravated Arson and Arson, pending a detention hearing.

The prosecutor’s office said Kling has no attorney listed yet.

Investigators said they used GPS to plot the origin of the fire and subsequent enquiries revealed Kling as the suspect.

Higher-than-normal pollution levels were expected 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 advised Wednesday.

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.

The fire in the southern part of New Jersey could continue to burn for days before rain later this week, officials said. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home.

A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire, while 12 structures remained threatened Wednesday evening.

This is a developing article and more information will be added soon.

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.

Vegetation smoulders as television crews report nearby a destroyed business from a wildfire on April 24, 2025, in Forked River, New Jersey. Vegetation smoulders as television crews report nearby a destroyed business from a wildfire on April 24, 2025, in Forked River, New Jersey. Adam Gray/Getty Images