JACKSON, NJ — A fire warden assisting with the state's controlled burning efforts found a human skeleton in the woods off South Stump Tavern Road on Monday, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

The skeleton was found in the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has been conducting controlled burns throughout the area in the last two weeks to knock down brush and leaves that would otherwise have the potential to fuel a forest fire. The warden came upon the skeleton about 2 p.m., Della Fave said.