OAKLAND MAN KILLED AS FIRE ENGULFS HOME

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, October 5, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B01

A predawn fire Thursday killed an Oakland man and destroyed a home he shared with a companion, who neighbors said was away on business.

Preliminary findings indicated the fire that killed John Casey, 59, and engulfed the house at 18 Mohawk Ave. was accidental, Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said.

Fahy said the fire apparently started in the first-floor living room of the 1 1/2-story house. Casey was found dead in the foyer near the front door, Fahy said.

“Our theory is that he fell asleep in a chair while smoking, and the chair caught fire,” Fahy said. “The whole living room of the house collapsed into the basement. We believe that he tried to get out of the house, but was overcome by smoke and collapsed.”

Fahy said neighbors reported the fire at about 5:34 a.m.

Ann Chiusano of 16 Mohawk Ave. said she woke to a loud popping sound and looked out and saw the fire next door. Chiusano said Ruth Natale, who owns the home, was in Florida and is due back Saturday.

Cornelius Klepper, whose home at 19 Mohawk Ave. is directly across the street, said he heard his dog barking.

“I looked out of my bedroom window, and I saw the flames shooting up 30, 40 feet in the air,” he said.

Klepper said he saw Casey on Monday when he came into the Oakland Wine and Liquor Store, which Klepper owns, and gave him the lottery numbers he wanted for Monday and Thursday.

“It was the last time I saw him,” Klepper said. “It’s a funny thing, because I didn’t even think he was home. I thought he was with her. I think Ruthie works for a travel agency, and she was gone quite a bit. See, John, he won’t fly. So if Ruthie flies, he won’t go.”

Caption: COLOR PHOTO – STEVE HOCKSTEIN / THE RECORD – Firefighters removing the body of John Casey, who died in a fire that destroyed a home on Mohawk Avenue in Oakland early Thursday morning. Neighbors said that the owner of the house was away on a business trip.

ID: 17318496 | Copyright © 1990, The Record (New Jersey)