Brick Man Charged With Sparking Jackson Wildfire Using Shotgun Rounds

Richard Shashaty (Photo: Ocean County Jail)

A wildfire that affected 350 acres of woods in Jackson Township and threatened dozens of homes earlier this week has been charged with starting the fire through his use of tracer rounds fired by a shotgun on the property of a local gun club.

Prosecutors announced late Saturday that Richard Shashaty, 37, of Brick Township, was charged with arson and a violation of the regulatory provisions relating to firearms, in connection with a wildfire that began in Jackson Nov. 6 and continued for days. The charges come after an investigation by Ocean County and state authorities.

Firefighters were called to the scene of the blaze at about 12:15 p.m. Nov. 6, eventually discovering the fire started in the area of the Central Jersey Rifle Range on Stump Tavern Road. A slew of investigative agencies began looking into the how the wildfire, which consumed about 350 acres, started. Their investigation, according to prosecutors, determined that the origin of the fire was behind a berm in the southwest corner of the Rifle Club, and the fire was caused by magnesium shards of a Dragons Breath 12 gauge shotgun round igniting nearby combustible items on the berm of the range.

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The firing of this type of incendiary, or tracer, ammunition is prohibited by New Jersey’s gun statutes. Tracer rounds are illuminated by a small pyrotechnic charge that allows the shooter to visually trace the path of the projectile. Tracer fire has been linked to wildfires in the past during times of drought, including incidents in the U.K., France, Texas and Colorado – normally under similar circumstances as the Jackson incident.

Prosecutors allege Shashaty fired the round that started the Jackson fire. On Saturday, Shashaty surrendered himself to Jackson Township Police headquarters in the presence of his attorney. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.