Ocean County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the southernmost county in the New York metropolitan area. The county borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east and in terms of total area is the state's largest county. Its county seat is Toms River. The county is part of the Jersey Shore and is considered part of the Central Jersey region of the state, though it was not among the four counties explicitly listed as included in Central Jersey as part of legislation signed into law in 2023.
On April 22, 2025, a devastating wildfire erupted in Ocean County, New Jersey, consuming over 15,000 acres of forestland in the..