SAYREVILLE — Main Street resident Edward Gordon was honored at a Borough Council meeting for assisting in the rescue of members of the DeSarno family during an early morning fire that claimed their home in December.
Reported at 3:19 a.m. Dec. 29, the fire left six members of the family injured. Three remain hospitalized.
“The first person that came out to help was Edward,” Fire Chief Vincent Waranowicz said at the Jan. 12 meeting. “If it wasn’t for the next-door neighbor, Ed, the outcome might not have been as great as it was.”
Gordon thanked the chief and borough officials for the recognition.
“I’m humbled by this. To be recognized by the community and its leaders is an incredible thing for me,” he said. “I just hope anybody would do the same thing in any kind of situation like that.”
Gordon also commended the Sayreville police and firefighters, who he said responded quickly, efficiently and professionally. He also extended his sympathies and well-wishes to the DeSarno family.
“This is a great moment for me, but the same thing that created this great moment created a difficult moment for them,” Gordon said. “Three of those kids and their family members are going to be having the memories and scars of this for the rest of their lives, so keep them in your prayers and think of them from time to time.”
Council President David McGill presented Gordon with a commendation and thanked him for acting to aid the De- Sarnos.
“Mr. Gordon, you are the neighbor that everyone wants,” McGill told the resident. “What you did in that moment is your ticket to heaven.”
Six members of the DeSarno family — Paul DeSarno; his wife, Kimberly Klitzke- DeSarno; their children, Henry, 28, Arthur, 20, and Shelby, 19; and grandfather Max Klitzke — were injured in the fire.
Family members were taken to the burn unit at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Paul DeSarno formerly served as a Sayreville councilman, Democratic Party chairman and Scoutmaster of Troop 97.
Tom Tighe, along with Paul DeSarno, is involved with Boy Scouts of America Troop 97. He said he has been in touch with DeSarno about two or three times a week since the blaze.
“They’re doing as best they can,” Tighe said. “They have a lot of faith and good will around them, but they have a long road ahead.”
According to Tighe, Shelby DeSarno, Henry DeSarno and Max Klitzke remained hospitalized as of Jan. 12.
“I just want to send all my prayers and thoughts to them and ask the community to do whatever they can,” Tighe said. “They have a long road ahead of them — not just with rebuilding their home, but with their recovery.”
Several fundraisers have collected thousands of dollars for the DeSarnos — a feat that Tighe said is heartening but does not erase the reality of the family’s struggle.
“When something like this happens, it’s great to see the community come together, but you wonder why this happens to good people,” Tighe said.
Donations will continue to be accepted by Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 90 Leonardine Ave., South River. Checks should be made payable to the church with “The DeSarno Family” written on the memo line.
For more information, contact the church at 732-254-1734 or holytrinitysr@verizon.net.
Those who want to contribute to the GoFundMe campaigns may visit www.gofundme.com/jj4id8 or www.gofundme.com/jhlhc0.