(OCEAN COUNTY, N.J.) — A second teenager has been arrested for arson in connection with a massive New Jersey wildfire that destroyed a commercial building, shut down a major highway and forced thousands of people to flee, prosecutors said.
The second suspect — an unidentified 17-year-old boy — was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with arson and aggravated arson for allegedly helping set wooden pallets on fire and leaving the area when the fire wasn’t fully extinguished, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
The 17-year-old was also charged with hindering apprehension for allegedly giving “misinformation to law enforcement about how the fire started,” Billhimer said in a statement.
The first suspect, 19-year-old Joseph Kling, was arrested on April 23 in connection with the Jones Road Wildfire, which ignited in Ocean Township on April 22, prosecutors said.
The fire was caused by “an improperly extinguished bonfire,” Billhimer said. Kling allegedly set wooden pallets on fire and then left when the fire wasn’t fully put out, Billhimer said.
As of Monday, the Jones Road Wildfire had burned about 15,300 acres, Billhimer said. The blaze was 75% contained as of Thursday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.
On April 23, Kling was charged with arson and aggravated arson. On Thursday, he was charged with hindering apprehension for also allegedly giving false information to law enforcement, prosecutors said.
Kling is in custody at the Ocean County Jail and is due at a detention hearing on Friday.
The 17-year-old is being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center, prosecutors said.
ABC News’ Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.
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