The man accused of starting the wildfire in Ocean County last month - which forced thousands of people to evacuate - says he didn’t do it.

Joseph Kling spoke directly alongside his attorneys after a hearing Monday morning in Toms River.

“I was the first to leave because my buddy crashed his dirt bike. I was going to take him to SOCH down in Manahawkin. So why didn't you put the fire out then? There was other people there and I tried. How? I kicked dirt on it. Everything I had the flame almost out and then other people were there. How many people were there? Like 16. Others there was 20 in total,” said Kling in an exchange with reporters on the Ocean County Courthouse steps Monday morning.

A defense strategy emerged after police say Kling and a 17-year-old suspect started a bonfire deep in the woods on Monday April 21, which would eventually become the Jones Road wildfire.

At a previous hearing, investigators said Kling and three friends went into the woods with plans to start a bonfire, picking up wooden pallets on the way and using gasoline to ignite it. After a friend of Kling’s got hurt in a dirt bike crash, they left and did nothing to try and put it out. That’s a claim Kling and his attorneys reject.

“What did you tell the police? I told him there was other people down there. They ignored me. About 25 minutes later they let me leave,” Kling told reporters.

“Specifically, he noted to the police he didn't even ignite the fire which is the most important factor at this point,” said Amber Delaney, one of Kling’s defense attorneys.

During testimony at Kling’s detention hearing earlier this month, prosecutors read from a statement claiming Kling blamed quote “Mexicans in the woods” for starting the fire in an early interview with police.

“He's already given a statement, and it's quite clearly identified in the affidavit of probable cause. The state has had it since his arrest and as evidenced by the fact that there's a juvenile charged, I’ll let the public infer what they need,” added defense attorney Joseph Compitello.

Kling was let out of jail two weeks ago but required to wear an ankle monitor. The teen was in court today for an early disposition hearing, which was continued to a later date. If found guilty of the most serious arson charge, he could spend up to 10 years in jail.