On August 29, just after 10 a.m., a fire tore through a two-story apartment on Seeley Avenue. Thick smoke trapped three children—two 10-year-olds and a 12-year-old—on the second floor while their mother was unconscious in a back bedroom. With firefighters still trying to push inside, Keansburg police officers were the first to arrive, and their body cameras captured the chaotic rescue.
Deputy Chief Bryan King said the smoke made it almost impossible to get upstairs. “It was a very tough situation to get into the apartment with all the smoke… Officers and firemen were having a very hard time getting in,” he explained.
The footage from Officer Brian VonBargen shows just how wild it got. Officers can be heard cursing as they repeatedly try—and fail—to get inside. With time running out, they shifted tactics: they stood under the windows and told the kids to jump.
The first child, a young girl, didn’t even wait. She leapt out the window, forcing officers to scramble and catch her. Two more kids followed, each one safely caught by cops below.
Mayor George Hoff, who was on the scene, praised the move. “I was actually standing there watching my officers catch three young juveniles. They did a great job. I’m thankful that the juveniles are OK,” he said.
Neighbors weren’t just watching, either. One brought over a ladder, while others helped however they could. Resident Tina Markowitz remembered the terrifying screams: “I heard them screaming, help! help! help! My daughter was like, ‘I’m going.’ She’s an EMT, so she went over and helped,” she said.
The kids got out with only minor smoke inhalation and were released from the hospital later that day. Their mother wasn’t as lucky—she had to be revived with CPR and was airlifted to Staten Island University Hospital, where she’s still in critical condition.
One officer injured his arm catching the kids and is being evaluated for possible long-term damage.
Friends of the family launched a GoFundMe, saying they went from “having everything to having nothing overnight.” The fundraiser is covering housing, school supplies, and living expenses while their mother remains in the ICU. The Red Cross also stepped in to provide support.
The rescue is the second in Monmouth County in less than a week. Days earlier, Asbury Park police officers caught an 8-year-old boy who jumped from another burning home. Keansburg fire official Arthur Boden said, “Cops are usually the first ones on the scene, and it’s hard for them to be waiting on a fire truck, so they act.”
Investigators don’t believe the Keansburg blaze was suspicious, but the cause hasn’t been determined.
