Vigil held for Jacqueline Montanaro, daughter Madelyn, who died in Hazlet house fire
HAZLET, N.J. - A prayer vigil was held Tuesday for a mother and her young daughter who died in a house fire in New Jersey.
Jacqueline Montanaro ran back into her family's burning home in Hazlet on Friday morning in an effort to save her 6-year-old daughter, Madelyn. The mother and child died of their injuries.
Montanaro's husband and 8-year-old daughter survived the fire.
Loved ones say Montanaro gave her life to try to save her daughter.
"That was my wife. She was the bravest person I ever knew," said Montanaro's husband, William Montanaro.
A sea of mourners gathered for a candlelight vigil at Veterans Park to show their support.
"My heart breaks for this poor family," Hazlet resident Giovanna Candela said.
The fire ripped through the Brookside Avenue home early Friday morning. Montanaro says the fire alarm went off and he went downstairs to see the circuit breaker was on fire.
"It took about 30 to 40 seconds from going from hazy smoke to very thick, dark, black smoke, to the point where I had to drop to the ground and crawl," he said.
He cleared a path for everyone to get out, but once outside they realized 6-year-old Madelyn was missing.
"I turned around and tried to go back in, and the flames and the smoke was just so intense," Montanaro said.
He says his wife, a proud Customs and Border Protection officer, didn't think twice.
"My wife gave her life to save our daughter because when I went in and I was engulfed in flames and black smoke and said we have to wait for our first responders, my wife's first responder heart overtook everything and went back in," he said.
Now, as they mourn both lives lost, he will forever cherish his soulmate and Mady, who he called his wife's "mini."
"She had this infectious smile that as soon as she did, everybody in the room was like, wow, this girl is special," Montanaro said.
Montanaro's father, Joe Autera, urged the crowd to spread love and kindness the way his daughter and granddaughter did.
"Make the difference that they no longer can," he said.
The family continues to thank first responders and the community for helping them get through the last couple days.
Montanaro says his 8-year-old daughter, who survived the fire, has shown a lot of strength and his only purpose in life is to be there for her.
Viewings are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at the Holmdel Funeral Home, and funeral services are planned for Friday at 10 a.m. at St. Benedict's Church in Holmdel.