4 police officers among 12 overcome by carbon monoxide in NJ home
MOUNT OLIVE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Police officers were among a dozen people who were rushed to the hospital after they suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning at a house in New Jersey Monday night.
Firefighters got a call at 7:30 p.m. about several people who were unresponsive in the home on Fenimore Court in Mount Olive. First responders and police officers pulled eight people from the home.
Two neighbors who were out for a walk are being praises as heroes after they jumped into action to help the victims. Afam Nwandu and his fiance were passing the home when the father screamed to them after having carried his two youngest children outside.
"He was yelling, 'help me, help me,'" Nwandu said. "He was a little bit incoherent."
They rushed inside and opened windows before locating more victims.
"His daughter and his son were laid out in front of the house, and they were convulsing and foaming from the mouth," Nwandu said. "I went up the stairs, and at the top of the staircase, right there, his wife was there, laid out, doing the same thing, shaking and convulsing on the ground."
They also found two college-age sons in the basement who were unconscious, and arriving officers helped pull them from the home.
Those two victims were flown to a hospital in New York City due to needing specialized equipment for treatment.
Among those taken to the hospital were four police officers, who assisted in rescue efforts.
"These people stepped up to the plate, and I can't say enough about their bravery," Mount Olive Mayor Robert Greenbaum said. "On behalf the entire Mount Olive community, I thank both of them."
Flanders Fire Chief Tyler Wargo said firefighters found levels of 1,600 parts per million of carbon monoxide in the home. A normal level is zero.
Investigators are trying to figure out the source of the carbon monoxide.
The Morris County Prosecutor's Office said everyone except two victims transported to Jacobi Hospital has been treated and released.
