By Natalia Knochowski, Staff Writer
MONROE — A neighbor and friend will be lending a helping hand this Saturday at a yard sale she organized that aims to benefit the husband and son of a woman who died in a Jamesburg house fire in June.
Crystal Vreeland, who is organizing the yard sale, said the bank is threatening to foreclose on George Lowenberg’s home on Gatzmer Avenue in Jamesburg.
Mr. Lowenberg’s wife, Jayme, died June 3 after handing her infant son, Derrick, to an off-duty fireman, then falling from an attic window of her home in an attempt to escape the burning house.
She died of the injuries she suffered from the fall.
Ms. Lowenberg’s sister, Michelle Gonzalez, also died from injuries suffered from the fire.
Mr. Lowenberg was out of town at a family home in Virginia at the time. Ms. Lowenberg, with her son, her sister and her sister’s children, had just gotten back from the Virginia home. An electrical problem in the house started the fire.
”We’re trying to help any way we can,” said Ms. Vreeland, who had been thinking of creating the yard sale for about three weeks.
Ms. Vreeland first met the Lowenbergs in 2007 after they had adopted a cat from her. Since then, they had been close friends.
Although Ms. Vreeland doesn’t know exactly how much money Mr. Lowenberg needs in order to save the house, any amount will help because the house is very important to Mr. Lowenberg, she said.
”Jayme picked out that house,” Ms. Vreeland said. “That’s where she wanted to raise Derrick, and George wants that, too.”
She said it would be great if Mr. Lowenberg could walk away with $1,000.
”But, of course, we’d love him to walk away with $100,000,” she added.
The yard sale, which Ms. Vreeland organized with the help of her mother and boyfriend, will consist of dinnerware, bicycles, furniture and other home goods.
Ms. Vreeland, friends, and neighbors of the Lowenberg family donated the items.
None of the items will be priced. Instead, Ms. Vreeland said people can name the price and donate however much they like in order to help Mr. Lowenberg.
”Hopefully, we will be working toward some sort of financial release,” she said.
The yard sale is at 213 Old Forge Road from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All proceeds will go to Mr. Lowenberg and his son.
Residents also can donate money to George Lowenberg at any TD Bank branch.

