SOUTHERN OCEAN COUNTY – As the Jones Road wildfire raged through the heart of the Pine Barrens on April 22, a Waretown man found himself trapped in the woods. But thanks to a team of first responders, he made it out alive. The responders didn’t just know the land – they used quick thinking and precise teamwork to save a life amidst the chaos.
The man had ventured deep into the woods on a solo spiritual retreat. But as smoke began to rise and fire engulfed the forest around him, his solitude quickly turned into a life-threatening emergency.
Officials say the blaze was deliberately set near the intersection of Jones Road and Bryant Road in Waretown (Ocean Township) by two local teens. Nineteen-year-old Joseph Kling and an unnamed 17-year-old face arson charges for allegedly setting wooden pallets ablaze and leaving before the fire was out. The flames would ultimately consume hundreds of acres and send plumes of smoke visible for miles.
Lt. Sean McManus, a Conservation Officer with NJ Fish and Wildlife said when he arrived at the command post on Wells Mill Park at 12:30 pm, the fire was already out of control. Authorities initially believed the wildfire began in Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area and the Forked River Mountain Wildlife Management Area. Both fall under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection with New Jersey Conservation Officers responsible for law enforcement there.
Photo courtesy New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Within a half hour, Conservation Officer Nicole Carman arrived at the Command Center following directives from McManus.
“I was asked by the incident commander (NJ Forest Fire Service Warden Will Jubert) to have the roads blocked off on either end,” shared McManus. “I had another officer on the other side blocking the road so that people couldn’t come in to see what was going on.”
The assignment took a dramatic turn seemingly within minutes. “After we were deployed out there, somebody came up to the incident command center,” McManus said. “He said he had received a text that there was someone potentially out in the area.”
Carman, who was originally stationed on Longridge Road and Bryant Road had already done a check by the Ironside Gun Club to make sure no one was there when McManus contacted her. However, she was called back to the command post when it appeared the fire was headed closer – making Bryant Road inaccessible.
A pair of friends of the missing man – Charlie and Meredith, both trained as wilderness trackers from Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School – stepped forward. They pointed to a spot on the map known as the Old Tuckerton Railroad near power lines.
McManus and Carman came up with an alternative route on the eastern most road. “There was no other option,” said Carman. “You know, there’s a human out there, so somebody had to go. And I was familiar with the area, so Sean asked me if I was okay with it, if I was good with it. Again, there was no other choice.”
With the fire closing in, Carman took Charlie with her and drove into the forest along Switch Road – a path Carman remembered as barely passable even in good conditions. “Charlie and I came up to one puddle that was very questionable,” she said. “We made it through – got out to the power lines with no problem.”
Reaching the power lines and then Long Ridge Road, Charlie jumped out and ran ahead along a firebreak, certain of where the missing man would be. Meanwhile, Carman coordinated with McManus and got some unfortunate news – they would be unable to return the way they came in to the area.
In addition to hearing from McManus, members of the NJ Forest Fire Service stayed in touch – including one from the skies above.
“I happened to be flying in our Forest Fire Service aircraft at the time, directing our resources on the ground and making sure the individual that was out in the woods was located,” said David Achey, New Jersey Supervising Forest Fire Warden. “I was there to make sure that everybody got what they needed.”
Achey credited Carman and the Fish and Game staff as the real heroes – as they were out there navigating rough, unimproved roads while the fire was actively impacting access. From the air, he provided updates on the fire’s direction and helped coordinate aircraft operations around the perimeter.
Smoke from the fire over Ocean Acres in Manahawkin on April 22, 2025. (Photo by Jason Allentoff)
“Charlie’s gone and I’m hoping he’s finding (the missing man),” recalled Carman. “Cause now I have two people out there.”
Soon thereafter, Carman saw something very unusual that caused an immense relief: a shirtless man with long brown curly hair came running at her with a wheelbarrow. It was the man they were looking for. “He’d climbed up to the top of a tree – and was sure seeing Charlie was the sign he had been waiting for as part of his spiritual journey.”
Charlie caught up and the three quickly loaded Carman’s pick-up truck. They went through some obstacles making it out of the woods. And surely, Carman’s knowledge of the area proved to make the road to safety an easier one.
By the time this article went to press, the man had not been fully identified, but his miraculous rescue is worth telling. The coordinated effort of the first responders and their unyielding determination left the Jones Road fire with no casualties.
As of Monday, May 12, the Jones Road fire had a 100% containment, according to state fire officials.
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