In Eviction Standoff, Roosevelt Woman Sets Fire To Home, Dies: Police

ROOSEVELT, NJ — A woman facing eviction from her rented house died in a fire she set after a standoff with authorities Wednesday, according to state police.

And what Mayor Peggy Malkin called a "desperate act" has left this normally peaceful, artistic town of under 1,000 deeply shocked and saddened.

Malkin identified the woman who died as Judy Hainan, 56, who lived in town for 12 to 15 years, she said.

"She loved the town," Malkin said, and she was well-liked and had a business as a pet sitter, she added.

Along with Hainan, her many cats are believed to have died in the fire, the mayor said.

"She cared for them so well - fed them, gave them all attention," Malkin said.

Malkin said what has added to the shock of the last few days is that a woman who so enjoyed life in her town would put her neighbors in danger.

Although there were no physical injuries reported for residents, one adjacent resident has been displaced and other residents were without utilities for a couple of days, she said.

The Cedar Court neighborhood now sees the charred remains of their neighbor's house, she added.

She said the borough elementary school was put on lockdown during the response to the situation.

Here is what happened, according to police: New Jersey state troopers were called to 5 Cedar Court in Roosevelt Wednesday, in one of the farthest parts of western Monmouth County, after the woman was served an eviction notice, officials said.

The renter "refused to leave and threatened to blow up the house," Lt. Lawrence Peele of the state police said in a news release.

At approximately 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, troopers saw smoke coming from the residence - a one-story home - before it became fully engulfed in flames.

State police have not yet released an identification, but Mayor Malkin was familiar with Hainan and identified her to Patch.

Human remains were recovered at the scene, Peele said. Due to their condition, the remains have not yet been positively identified, he said in a news release.

There were no other occupants in the residence, Peele said. But Malkin said she knew Hainan had cats - perhaps 30 of them - and they are believed to have died.

Personnel from multiple fire departments arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire, police said.

Three firefighters from Millstone Township Fire Department sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries. The case remains under investigation, Peele said.

Capt. Alan South of the Millstone Fire Department said the state Division of Fire Safety is responsible for the fire investigation.

Photos of the aftermath were posted on the department's Facebook page. The department serves Roosevelt, which is in the center of the larger township, he said.

South confirmed that a neighbor evacuated from the adjacent house is still not able to return.

Malkin said she wanted the public to know that Hainan was "a gentle soul" who must have felt desperately "boxed in" for this to happen.

She said that, as mayor, it's difficult to grapple with the tragedy is a town that is known as "artistic, historic - free-spirited."

"For us to be on the news, have reporters calling. . .," she said, trailing off.

The mayor's own dog, a rescue from family in Los Angeles, began "barking at the sky" as police and news helicopters hovered above, Malkin said.

The mayor said she will make a statement at the Borough Council meeting Monday to thank first responders and everyone involved in helping the town through this situation - an aberration in its history.

Roosevelt, originally called Jersey Homesteads, has long been known as a progressive, artistic community, Malkin said.

The town was created during the Great Depression as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal to resettle Jewish garment workers, according to internet sources.

It was renamed Roosevelt in 1945 in honor of the late president.