Authorities do not suspect foul play in the Wednesday afternoon fire that claimed a man’s life in Jersey City.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday that Jerome Miller, 83, died after the fire broke out inside his unit in the seven-story Lincoln View Apartments at Kennedy Boulevard and Gifford Avenue. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has determined the cause of Miller’s death to be smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, and the manner of death to be an accident.
The Jersey City Fire Department was notified of the fire at 5:20 p.m. and found Miller inside his apartment. He was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 6:30 p.m., Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
“He was a quiet guy and kind of frail,” one resident told The Jersey Journal. “He walked gingerly and slowly like he had a health problem ... Last time I saw him was about a month ago.”
The Hudson County Regional Arson Task Force continues its investigation but the fire is not considered suspicious at this time, Suarez said. The origin and cause of the fire are pending.