Boy, man killed in Perth Amboy house fire
PERTH AMBOY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A fire claimed the life of a 5-year-old boy and a man in Perth Amboy, New Jersey early Friday morning.
Investigators have not released whether or not the five-year-old boy who died is related to the man, who has not been identified.
Witnesses say right after the fire started, they heard a woman screaming and crying, asking for somebody to go in and rescue her son. She said she got separated from him as they were escaping.
"She was screaming 'my son, my son' because apparently he was stuck in the house because the door got closed and she couldn't get in," Iris Rodriguez said.
Investigators say five-year-old Ryan Jamil was not able to escape the inferno on Commerce Street. He lived on the first floor.
"He was a good kid. I saw him and his family around," Domingo Nunez said.
The body of the other victim, an adult male, was discovered in the burned out building Friday afternoon.
Because of the extensive fire damage crews had to wait until the house was safe to go inside to search for the man.
The fire started just after 3:00 Friday morning and when firefighters arrived they could not get into the front door because the fire was too intense.
One man jumped from a window to escape the raging flames.
"Even in my room, I could smell the smoke and feel it," Rodriguez said.
Ten people got out and were taken to the hospital including three children.
"It is devastating, very sad. I didn't know there were so many kids up there," she said.
The house was being torn down late Friday because it has been deemed structurally unsafe.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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