Young man believed to be autistic and his father are killed in Old Bridge fire

February 21, 2010

By Sue Epstein

February 20, 2010, 11:09PM

A young man believed to be autistic and his father were killed tonight in a fire

that spread quickly through a two-story home in Old Bridge, police said.

The bodies of the son, 21-year-old Lee, and his father, Lee, 60,

were both found on the second floor of the house, said Lt. Stader.

A woman who police said was Lee's mother and another, older son were

both taken to Old Bridge Regional Hospital, but the severity of their injuries

was unclear, Stader said tonight.

Lee called police to report an electrical fire he said started in the wall

of the master bedroom on the second floor, Stader said. A dispatcher told Lee to

get everyone out of the house.

" He said he would and that's the last he was heard from, " Stader said.

Lee was partially paralyzed by a stroke several years ago, neighbors said.

Neighbors said they saw flames shooting through the roof, and heard a loud pop.

When firefighters arrived, Stader said they removed the mother and older son

from downstairs but were unable to reach the second floor.

A neighbor, Testa, said Lee's mother was taken out of the

house and put into an ambulance.

" She was crying, she was very upset, " Testa said.

A third son, who neighbors said did not live in the house, was at the scene last

night with friends.

At 9 p.m., more than 20 firefighters continued to battle the blaze as smoke

billowed out the windows of the white, split-level home. They extended a ladder

up to the second floor to search the house, which was charred but still

standing.

Neighbors said the family moved in during the 1980s. The homes on the street,

many built during the 1960s, are set far apart with large lawns, and police said

the fire did not spread to nearby houses.

" I'm very sad, very very sad about this, " a next door neighbor said.

O'Connor contributed to this report.

There were four people inside the house on West Alton Place when the fire

started at 7:40 p.m., he said.

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