Loved ones pay respects to fallen Plainfield Firefighter Marques Hudson
PLAINFIELD, N.J. -- Loved ones paid their respects Friday to a fallen New Jersey firefighter killed in the line of duty.
The wake was held at Plainfield High School for Marques Hudson's family, friends and fellow firefighters.
Hudson's flag-draped casket arrived at the high school on a fire engine, and two fire trucks with ladders up sat parked outside.
The 32-year-old hero was a father of three and a beloved member of the Plainfield Fire Department and the community. He grew up in the city and joined the fire department in December 2021.
Hudson was killed on Jan. 26 while responding to a house fire on Emerson Avenue. City officials say Hudson was inside the burning home when he either fell through the floor or fell down stairs.
Doctors spent more than an hour trying to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The heartbreak is profound for New Jersey's bravest. This is the third time a New Jersey firefighter has been killed in the line of duty in less than a year. Two Newark firefighters were killed in July fighting a cargo ship fire.
There will be another viewing for Hudson from 9-11 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters from around the state are expected to come to pay their final respects. Several firefighters from the Newark Fire Department will be attending, and one told CBS New York's Christine Sloan that going to another wake and funeral is "numbing."
Funeral services will follow the viewing. The Rev. Willie Combs, from the Shiloh Baptist Church in Plainfield, will provide the comfort prayer at the funeral.