Firehouse In Jersey City Broken Into While Crews Saving Teen From Blaze
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Jersey City firefighters returned to their fire station after a call this week, only to find their firehouse had been burglarized.
As CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported, the firefighters had been out rescuing a boy who was trapped in a burning building.
His home was destroyed and the image of the fire that gutted his apartment was still fresh. Shattered glass and plywood-covered windows are the remnants of the fire in the building on Cator Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
"It was horrible for us," building superintendent James Parker told CBS2's Janelle Burrell. "We were all asleep. It was early, we heard the alarms going off."
The crews of the Jersey City Fire Department's Tower Ladder 4 raced to the scene from their firehouse on Ocean Avenue to rescue a 16-year-old boy trapped in a third floor unit.
"We're here always to help, and that proved last night when they pulled a 16-year-old boy out of a third-floor window," Deputy Fire Chief Steven McGill told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
"They did a wonderful job," said Parker. "They got everybody out safely."
It was after firefighters wrapped up and returned to the firehouse that they quickly realized they too had become victims. The back window of the station was pushed in and the valuables they left behind were all gone.
"Laptop, tablets, several wallets with credit cards," said Chief Darren Rivers.
Rivers says it isn't the first time it has happened, but the firehouse does not have surveillance cameras.
"They know when these guys go out, they can be out for an extended period of time and they take advantage of it," he said. "It's extremely demoralizing because these guys are professionals. They think because we're firefighters, these guys are part of the community too."
McGill said that community stepped up and offered to help.
"We've actually gotten several calls, people looking to make donations, to help the firefighters offset whatever was stolen from them," he said. But since they're civil servants, they cannot accept gifts.
Lifelong resident Marisa Lawrence has a message for whoever is responsible.
"I'm just disgusted," she said. "Go get a job and do what you need to do to survive. Don't do that to these men, it's embarrassing."
The chief says he's putting his confidence in police. As for his men, he said they "love the job they do, they love the people they serve."
"If they had to do it again, they would choose to save that life," he said. "That's what's most important."
The chief says steps will be taken to help make the firehouse, which dates back to 1894, a bit more secure, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported. He said he is also looking into get cameras for firehouses around the city.