Tragic Hazlet, NJ house fire kills mom, daughter

HAZLET — A mother and her daughter are dead after a fire ripped through their home early Friday morning.

The blaze broke out at the house on Brookside Avenue in Hazlet just after midnight, according to the Hazlet First Aid & Rescue Squad. A spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office confirmed the deaths in a statement to New Jersey 101.5.

"Our office can confirm the deaths of one adult female and a young child as a result of a fire in the early morning hours of Friday, January 13 in Hazlet. Although we do not believe the fire is suspicious in nature, the fire is under active investigation."

A GoFundMe identified the victims as Jacqueline Montanaro and her daughter Madelyn. It said that the mother died of injuries she got after "heroically attempting to save her daughter." Madelyn passed away from her injuries Saturday afternoon.

The Hazlet police said on social media that it had "vetted" the fundraiser and asked people to keep the Montanaro family in their prayers. As of Sunday afternoon, it had raised over $155,000 from nearly 2,000 individual donors.

According to the GoFundMe created by the Customs United Service Alliance, Montanaro worked as a supervisory officer for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. She was also vice president of CUSA.

"Jackie’s ability to get any job done at work was only second to her love and devotion to her family at home," CUSA said in the fundraiser.

Montanaro is survived by her husband William Montanaro and their daughter Elena.

William Montanaro is COO and assistant scout executive for the Monmouth Council Boy Scouts of America. The organization is also collecting donations for its Alumni Disaster Fund to help the family with "immediate needs."

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

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