Fatal Berkeley House Fire Victim Identified: Prosecutor

BERKELEY, NJ — A 77-year-old woman was killed Thursday after her dishwasher caught fire in her Silver Ridge Park home, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

The fire was ruled accidental and "a failure of energized electrical equipment cannot be eliminated as the cause of the fire," Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

The woman, previously unidentified due to authorities being unable to find her next of kin, was identified as Janet Conroy, the homeowner, late Friday afternoon.

Berkeley officials were dispatched to the home at 1 Miles Pond Road shortly before 2 p.m. on July 20, Billhimer said.

As firefighters were dousing the blaze, the dead body of a 77-year-old woman was found in the home's dining room, Billhimer said.

"Thank you to everyone that reached out to our Office and assisted us with locating Ms. Conroy's family. I'd also like to extend my gratitude to all of the agencies that responded to and investigated the cause of this tragic fire," Billhimer said.