Rockaway Police pull man from smoke-filled home

ROCKAWAY Two borough police officers rushed into a smoke-filled Farview Road home early Tuesday, and in a haze of smoke, located an unconscious, 57-year-old occupant and brought him outside, Police Chief Doug Scheer said.

“They did a phenomenal job and their efforts have given him a fighting chance,” Scheer said. The officers who entered the small, Cape Cod-style home after a smoke condition was reported around 6:15 a.m. are Peter Krowiak and James Lommatzsch.

The first officers on the scene were met on the front porch by the 75-year-old female homeowner, identified as Rosemarie DePack, who was ushered to a safe spot on the property before the officers went into the house to locate her son, Thomas DePack, 57. They met with thick smoke and first saw a hand at the top of a staircase in the house and found the son, who had collapsed and was unconscious, Scheer said.

“The officers grabbed hold of him and brought him outside. Debris was falling on top of him,” Scheer said.

“The officers did an incredible job working their way through a dangerous situation, pulling Mr. DePack to safety and giving him a fighting chance at recovery,” Scheer reiterated.

Paramedics from St. Clare’s Hospital took over emergency medical care and a Medevac was flown in, landing at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall. The injured man was flown to St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, where he was in critical condition Tuesday morning.

The mother was taken to St. Clare’s in Denville for evaluation and the officers who went into the house without safety apparatus were brought to Morristown Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation, Scheer said.

He said that the Office of Emergency Management was on the scene along with investigators from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Section. While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, it is standard procedure for detectives to investigate if there are injuries, Scheer said.

He said that Rosemarie DePack’s other son arrived at the scene and arrangements are being made for the American Red Cross to assist the family, Scheer said.

The Rockaway Borough Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Dover and Rockaway Township.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com.