A cop in my hometown lost everything to a fire. How you can help

Naturally I don’t like hearing about anyone’s misfortune. I suppose what hits me more about this story is that it happened to a first responder. A police officer and his family. The type of person who dedicates their life to helping others and risks it every single day. Then hearing this is a young officer serving the very town where I grew up, Rahway, and who has a wife and little baby, is just so sad.

The Rahway officer lived in a modest home on Dutch Valley Road in Howell with his wife and their 10-month-old baby girl.

According to NJ.com, a fire broke out Saturday afternoon, and it spread to several sections of the home quickly. The couple had to get the baby and their pet dog out of the house as soon as possible. Thankfully, there were no injuries but it’s reported they lost everything.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the couple and their 10-month-old girl get back on their feet. As this excerpt from a State PBA statement explains, they lost everything.

“The fire took away not only their home, but also all of their personal belongings as well as essentials for their young child. The sudden loss has left them in urgent need of temporary housing and the means to start rebuilding their lives from scratch.

"Every contribution will go directly toward helping them find a safe place to stay and replacing the items they lost in the fire.

The emotional and financial toll of such a tragedy is overwhelming, especially with a baby to care for, but together, we can help ease their burden and show them that their community stands behind them.”

If you would like to help this police officer and his family and give back a little after all the service he’s given, here’s how you can. You can find the GoFundMe page here.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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