The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office announced last week that an early morning fire at a Bergenline Avenue apartment complex in North Bergen has been officially ruled a homicide, as investigators determined that the fire, which caused the death of a 74-year-old man, had been intentionally set.
Ismael Alonso perished from smoke inhalation at the scene on March 14 after being pulled from his burning residence at 8219 Bergenline Ave. by North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue personnel. The three-alarm fire began before 5 a.m.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, the investigation continues, to try to gather information that will lead to arrests in the case.
“It has been officially declared an arson case, so therefore, it is a homicide,” DeFazio said. “The person or persons involved will now face felony murder charges for the death of Mr. Alonso, although no arrests have been made. It is definitely now a murder investigation, because of the arson.”
DeFazio said that investigators are looking into the possibility that the fatal fire could be tied into another fire reported just 11 minutes after the fatal blaze was reported, at 7417 Fifth Ave., some eight blocks away.
“They haven’t been tied together yet, but we’re checking into the sequence of events,” DeFazio said. “We’re trying to ascertain if there is definitely any connection between the two.”
DeFazio said, “From what we could determine, it appears as if Mr. Alonso was not the intended target, just an innocent victim.”
According to NHRFR Co-Director Michael DeOrio, the two hallway fires, allegedly both set, caused some concern.
“It’s very suspicious,” DeOrio said. “Both were hallway fires and both seemed to have been set. The fires happened 11 minutes apart and were relatively close in proximity. It seems like similar conditions.”
According to DeOrio, the intense fire was reported at 4:46 a.m. last Friday and when NHRFR personnel arrived on the scene, the two-story building was completely engulfed in flames.
While firefighters raced to try to fight the fire, Alonso was spotted in the second floor hallway, in close proximity to where the fire started.
“When we got there, the hallway was fully involved,” DeOrio said. “It’s pretty hard for a fire to start in a hallway under general conditions, without having something to ignite it, like a careless cigarette butt. Our firefighters said that the flames were throwing off distinct colors, which put us in more of an alert mode.”
When firefighters located Alonso, he was already overcome by the intense smoke. He was brought outside and emergency medical technicians tried to revive him, but it was to no avail.
“He tried to make his way down the stairs, but he got caught by the smoke and was overcome,” DeOrio said.
The flames then spread from the hallway into three second-floor apartments. Witnesses told fire officials that at least three residents jumped from the second floor window onto the canopy of the Oh Calamares restaurant located below the apartments.
One resident allegedly threw her 6-year-old son out of the window, into the arms of a man who just happened to be driving along Bergenline Avenue and offered assistance. The woman and her 11-year-old son then allegedly jumped out of the window onto the canopy, causing the canopy to collapse and crash to the ground. However, witnesses told NHRFR officials that the canopy definitely saved the lives of the mother and her son.
“We also had to make rescues using a ladder in the back of the building, but the canopy helped to save the people in the front,” DeOrio said. “It was a quick-spreading fire.”
DeOrio said that approximately 50 firefighters fought the fire, which was extinguished in just 30 minutes. The fire caused extensive damage to the apartments, as well as the restaurant and a hair salon located below.
The building and the businesses remained closed Wednesday afternoon.
DeFazio said that investigators from the Prosecutor’s Office were busy interviewing residents of the building and other witnesses to determine if anyone knew who could have caused this deadly blaze.
“We’ve also spoken with individuals at the Fifth Avenue location,” DeFazio said.
It was not known who the intended target could have been. Alonso, a native of Cuba, lived with his ex-daughter-in-law, who was the woman who escaped via the canopy.
“The investigation is continuing,” DeFazio said. “We’re still working on the case. It’s an active investigation.”
Once there is a fatality, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office heads the investigation, so the NHRFR and North Bergen Police investigators have to defer to DeFazio’s staff in terms of gathering information.