JACKSON – A resident was rescued when police officers conducted a check at her home on Wild Dunes Way.
Police said that at 7:30 p.m. June 28, officers Tristan Bennett and Joe Pante responded to a residence on Wild Dunes Way to check on the welfare of an individual.
Upon their arrival, the officers made contact with the person who had called police. The individual told the officers he was unable to contact his 78-year-old mother at the residence and did not have a key to get inside.
While checking the residence, the officers were unable to make contact with the resident and they heard an alarm coming from inside. The alarm was later determined to be a carbon monoxide detector, according to police.
The officers forced entry to the home and immediately detected a heavy chemical odor. They found the woman in her bedroom and observed she was barely conscious and her breathing was very shallow.
Police said the officers removed the woman from the home and brought her outside, where she was treated by first aid personnel and transported to a hospital for treatment.
Fire personnel from Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 responded to the scene. Representatives of Southard (Howell) Hazmat, Berkeley Hazmat and New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) also responded to the home.
The hazardous materials personnel entered the home and removed numerous containers of household cleaning products from a kitchen counter. Police said many of the cleaning products were open or not sealed properly. Fans were brought in to vent the residence.
NJNG personnel determined there was a high level of carbon monoxide present due to a faulty water heater.
Once the scene was cleared, the police officers were able to continue their investigation and ruled out the possibility of the incident being suspicious. It was determined the chemical odors were caused by the open cleaning products and that the resident had been exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide due to the gas leak on the water heater.
