Police Pull Unconscious Man, Mother From Two-Alarm Apartment Fire

A West Orange detective and township police officer re-entered a burning Pleasant Valley Way apartment Saturday afternoon after helping a 72-year-old woman to safety in order to rescue her unconscious son when fire broke out, officials said.

According to West Orange police, Det. Keith Boryseskne and Officer Jerome Pleasants arrived at 1480 Pleasant Valley Way at about 1:50 p.m. just before the fire department and reported heavy smoke conditions in a unit in the apartment complex.

Boryseskne entered the apartment and helped 72-year-old Elaine Sugerman out the smoke-filled apartment, police said. She told police her 50-year-old son was still in the kitchen of the apartment.

According to the report, Boryseskne then went back into the apartment and found Robert Sugerman on the kitchen floor unable to get up.

The detective picked up Sugerman and started to pull him to safety. Pleasants re-entered the apartment and assisted, according to police.

According to West Orange Deputy Fire Chief Paul Wannemacher, the fire department arrived on scene just before 2 p.m. and extinguished the fire, which started in the basement. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, the department said, and the home is currently uninhabitable.

Robert Sugerman was transported to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and treated for smoke inhalation, police said.

Boryseskne and Pleasants were also transported to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston but were released several hours later, officials said. 

In addition to the West Orange Fire Department response, crews from East Orange, Orange and Montclair stood by for mutual aid.