As I have been saying every #BlueFriday since December 2015, the job of law enforcement is one of the most important roles in our community and cops never know what to expect when they head out for their shift. Last week was no different for the Toms River Police Department.
Late Monday night while most New Jerseyans were either in bed or getting ready to call it a day, police responded to a call of a home on fire. Arriving on the scene with smoke and flames pouring our of the single family home, neighbors alerted the officers that the homeowner had not emerged. Without hesitation, Officer Rebecca Sayegh (pronounced Saige) forced her way through the front door into the thick smoke. She found the homeowner in the front of the house unable to escape through the thick smoke. She was able to confirm that there was no one else in the home and got her to safety, along with her pets.
An Off-duty Long Branch Police Officer is being haled as a hero today after he saved the life of a man in Tinton Falls.
Long Branch Police Chief Jason Roebuck said in a statement that his department got a call from Tinton Falls Police regarding Office Kevin Kuhne who came to the rescue of a man Tuesday who was having a massive heart attack.
The son of the 56-year old victim ran to a neighbor to ask for help and ran into Officer Kuhne who bolted to the home and administered life-saving CPR.
A few minutes later Tinton Falls Police arrived on scene along with First Aid who brought the man to the hospital where immediate surgery was performed.
Toms River Police said in a statement that
Officer Rebecca Sayegh forced entry through the front door and found the homeowner in the foyer.
She had been unable to open the door and exit due to the heavy smoke in the home.
Officer Sayegh confirmed that there was no one else inside the residence and helped the homeowner, and her pets, outside and across the street to the neighbors residence where she was evaluated by Toms River EMS.
Due to strong winds at the time, other responding officers evacuated surrounding residences.
Townsquare Media New Jersey Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said that the temperatures and winds combined last night made this a tough fire for crews on scene.