14-year-old charged in NJ wildfire, may be connected to another

🔥A 14-year-old was charged in connection with a wildfire on Halloween

🔥Investigators are looking at his possible connection to a second wildfire

🔥A wildfire burning on the New Jersey/New York State border is 50% contained

EVESHAM — A 14-year-old teen was charged with arson in connection with one of the wildfires that burned acres of dry forest in the past month.

It is the second arrest made in connection with the recent wildfires.

Evesham police announced the arrest of a 14-year-old Marlton teen in connection with a wildfire on Sycamore Avenue in Evesham that burned 52 acres on Oct. 30 and 31. The teen was arrested on Nov. 7 and charged with aggravated arson and causing or risking widespread injury or damage.

The teen is being held at the Middlesex Juvenile Detention Center, pending his first appearance.

An investigation continues into the teen’s connection to the Nov. 7 Bethany Run wildfire that consumed 375 acres on the Evesham/Voorhees border.

Police asked anyone with information about the fires to contact the Evesham Police Department at 856-983-1116.

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Second wildfire arrest

Last week, Richard Shashaty, 37, of Brick, was charged by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office with arson and violating firearms regulations for the recent "Shotgun" fire that burned through 350 acres in Jackson.

A joint investigation found the fire started behind a berm at the rifle club. It was started by magnesium shards from a Dragons Breath 12-gauge shotgun round, prosecutors said.

Dragons Breath rounds use magnesium to create flames when a shotgun is fired. They are illegal in New Jersey.

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Containing a massive fire

The Jennings Creek Wildfire in West Milford on the New York State border has consumed 2,283 acres in New Jersey as of Wednesday night and is now 50% contained, according to the NJ Forest Fire Service. The fire is being fought with New York Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Forest Protection and Fire Management.

The number of structures threatened drops to two with the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District in West Milford no longer in danger.

"The New Jersey state forest fire team has made remarkable progress, and we are incredibly grateful to them, as well as to all the volunteers and emergency management personnel for their hard work," West Milford Mayor Michele Dale said on her Facebook page.

The fire danger is low on Thursday thanks to light winds and higher humidity, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

"Just remember, with a reduction in dew points (humidity) and an increase in wind speed comes another increase in fire danger," Zarrow said.

The Jennings Creek Wildfire is the second-largest wildfire in New Jersey this year. The Tea Time Hill wildfire burned through 4,300 acres of Wharton State Forest in Burlington County in four days in July.

Previous reporting by Rick Rickman was used in this report

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