June 1, 2023

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–Yesterday, May 31, 2023, at 5:35 a.m., police communications received a 9-1-1 call about a house on fire at 73 Kingsley Road.

On arrival, responding officers found a working structure fire in the area of the garage. Officers confirmed that the house had been evacuated and that there were no pets inside.

Kendall Park Fire Department began attacking the fire, while police officers checked on and spoke with the homeowners. The family said that they were sleeping and had no idea that the house was on fire, when they heard banging on their front door and bedroom windows. On checking the source of the banging, they encountered their neighbor, Santo Livio, along with another woman who has not yet been identified, warning them of the fire. They quickly evacuated the house uninjured.

Mr. Livio, 85, of Kingsley Road, stated that after a lifetime of being an early riser for work, he continued to wake up early in retirement, as well. Mr. Livio said that about 5:30am, he looked out his front door to see if there were any animals in his yard, when he noticed puffs of smoke that looked like fog over the garage corner of 73 Kingsley Road. Unsure if he was seeing smoke or fog, he stepped outside, at which point he saw a woman walking down the street. He asked her if it appeared to be smoke, and she said yes, at which point they both ran to the house and began trying to alert the residents, banging on the door and windows. Mr. Livio then called 9-1-1 as the residents left the house, and the unknown woman left the scene in the commotion of the fire response. Mr. Livio stated that the residents later came to his home to thank him for alerting them of the fire, allowing them to safely evacuate the home.

It took 50 firefighters from all three township fire departments, Kendall Park Fire Department, Monmouth Junction Fire Department, and Kingston Fire Department, 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. The fire appears to have begun in the garage, but a source and confirmation of point of origin are pending further investigation by the Fire Safety Bureau.

Chief Raymond J. Hayducka stated, “I credit Mr. Livio, along with the unidentified woman, and their quick thinking and heroic actions, with saving the family.”

South Brunswick Police Department Photo

Kendall Park Fire Company Photo

At Approximately 5:41 a.m. yesterday, Kendall Park Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched to a working structure fire at 73 Kingsley Rd. Multiple neighbors noticed heavy smoke coming from the home, promptly dialed 911 and were able to wake up and evacuate the family. Upon arrival SBPD officers confirmed that the residence had been evacuated while Chief 220 and Chief 230 were met with heavy smoke showing from the exterior of the residence in the area of the garage. Engine 222 crew established a water supply and made an aggressive interior attack. The initial attack crew were able to make an effective knock of the fire and prevented the fire from spreading through the entire house. Crews from Monmouth Junction Fire Department and Kingston fire department assisted with extinguishment and overhaul. Thankfully closed interior doors were able to significantly minimize fire and smoke damage to nearby rooms. It is always important to keep bedroom doors closed to protect yourself in the event of a fire in your home. South Brunswick Fire Prevention responded and is conducting an ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire. Also assisting on scene was Kendall Park First Aid Squad and South Brunswick EMS. This incident shows how important it is for everyone in our community to work as team to protect each other. The quick thinking actions of the neighbors and the effective strategy of our Township’s first responders all played a significant role in saving lives and property today

June 1, 2023-UPDATED

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–South Brunswick Police are asking the public to be alert for an increasing number of catalytic converter thefts during the overnight hours in the Township. Chief Raymond Hayducka said, “The catalytic converter problem in New Jersey is at epidemic levels. We are partnering with county and State law enforcement to track these suspects, but there are multiple crews operating throughout the state.” The crews have intensified their recent efforts in southern Middlesex County with 29 thefts in South Brunswick since May 21st.

Catalytic converters look like a metal hot water bottle, are found in the car’s underbody, and are part of its exhaust system. The magic ingredients of that chemical catalyst are the precious metals rhodium, palladium, and platinum. Each converter contains several grams of each metal and is sold to unscrupulous scrap yards. The converters can be clipped off a car in minutes. Chief Hayducka is frustrated by the Scrap yards throughout the tri-state area that buy these converters. “No legitimate business is having some walking in at 6 am with a trunk full of catalytic converters and thinks this is legitimate,” said Chief Hayducka.

Captain Jeff Russo, the head of the South Brunswick Police Criminal Investigations Division said, “We have been sharing information with detectives throughout the area. The majority of thefts take place overnight between 11 pm to 5 am. The most common vehicle they target is Hondas.”

South Brunswick Police have twice encountered the suspects. Each time the suspects fled police at high rates of speed and created a wide risk to the public. “These suspects have no concern for public safety and will recklessly endanger everyone for a few hundred dollars,” said Chief Hayducka.

They have targeted residential sections throughout the township during the overnight. “I encourage every resident to call 911 at the first sign of any problems. Residents have already made a number of calls and we have created saturation patrols to increase our detection. There is no one answer to the problem, but collectively we make a difference,” said Chief Hayducka.

Yesterday Chesterfield Township Police also issued a Crime Alert in their community due to a large amount of catalytic converters being stolen. You can read that MidJersey.news story here:

File photo from 2022 raids in New Jersey

File photos from last year’s “Operation Heavy Metal” where on Wednesday November 2, 2022 though Monmouth and Burlington Counties in New Jersey and New York, as part of a nation-wide operation to take down a transnational catalytic converter theft ring. The HSI enforcement operation which included the Newark Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST), the HSI Tulsa field office, Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Newark field office, and others from numerous state and local law enforcement partners, resulted in the apprehension of 6 individuals in Newark, 2 individuals in New York and confiscated more than 200 pallets of catalytic converters, more than $2 Million worth of exotic automobiles, and more than $1 Million in U.S. currency, 29 ounces of gold bars, jewelry, and several high-value handbags.