Two children — one only 8 months old — died in a fire that ripped through a Jersey City home overnight, according to authorities.
The baby boy, along with his 11-year-old sister, were killed in the blaze that began on Martin Luther King Drive near Union Street around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office said early Thursday.
The heavy fire was confined to a single apartment, and firefighters found the two children inside, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The girl, identified by the prosecutor’s office as Desire Reid, was pronounced dead on scene.
The baby, named Keyon Robinson, was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The mother of the children, identified by her aunt as Angie Reid, and a 6-year-old son, managed to evacuate the home before firefighters showed up.
At one point, the distraught mom “tried running back in,” Lori Reid said of her niece.
“She took care of her kids and worked hard as a single mother,” she said. “She worked at the post office.”
Angie called Lori when the blaze broke out, saying that the family was inside asleep and “they didn’t have nothing on.”
Lori said she rushed to the home, and found her niece devastated.
“I just told her, ‘You still have somebody to live for,’” she said, referring to the 6-year-old boy. “He needs you.”
Neighbor Krystle Bey, 38, described Angie as “truly a good person” who “really loved her kids.”
“I know all three kids, very loving kids, very well taken care of, and it’s just a sad situation,” she said.
Another neighbor, Alice Jones, said she saw Angie yelling and screaming, “Help me, help me!” as first responders showed up.
“She was nice, very quiet, she kept to herself and she took care of her kids,” Jones said.
“This is the first time I had ever seen a fire like this,” she added. “It was real heavy. There were flames coming out the window.”
The Hudson County Regional Arson Task Force is investigating the blaze, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The cause was not immediately available.
