TOMS RIVER – Two residents saved a woman from a burning apartment that damaged multiple units Sunday evening, police said.
Police arrived to an apartment complex on Edgewood Drive around 11:20 p.m. regarding a structure fire. Officers were met with residents who were already outside and assisting with evacuating the building.
Residents Jordan Finkle and Dominic Dowd helped rescue a woman from the blaze, police said. Although they did not see or hear anyone else, the woman told officers that another person was inside.
Officer Tyler Pinto climbed onto the balcony of the apartment trying to find the alleged entrapped person but he did not see or hear anyone in the apartment.
Police said the apartment began billowing black smoke and at that time the Toms River Fire Department arrived on scene to extinguish the fire.
The woman was brought to Community Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation, police said.
After the fire was extinguished, first responders search the building multiple times and confirmed there was no sign of anyone else inside.
Multiple apartments were damaged and deemed uninhabitable as a result of the fire, police said. The American Red Cross was contacted and responded to the scene to help aid the residents.
At this time, the cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation by the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention, the Toms River Police Detective Bureau, and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Also assisting on scene was the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CIU, multiple fire companies, and CSO/EMTs.
Toms River Police Department acknowledges the quick-thinking and heroic actions of the residents who came together to ensure everyone was able to get out of the apartments safely. Also, to Samantha Batiato who along with neighbors rendered aid to the victim and monitored her condition while waiting for first responders to arrive.
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