Crime & Safety
Maplewood Woman Reunites With Firefighter Who Saved Her
Arlene Knight thanked first responders who saved her and her son from a burning building in September.

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - A chance encounter on New Year's Eve afforded Maplewood resident Arlene Knight the chance to thank the first responders that saved her and her son from a structure fire on Sept. 11.
According to the Maplewood NJ FMBA L-25 Facebook page, members of Tour 2, Engine 32, were on a company detail when they were flagged down by Knight. She wanted to personally show her appreciation for the Maplewood Fire Department for saving her life and her son's life by rescuing them from a fire in the early morning hours of Sept. 11.
What Knight didn't know, was that one of the members on the Engine, Connor Hamilton, was directly involved in rescuing her from the fire. Hamilton, along with Maplewood Police Officers Robert Smith and James DeFazio and fellow fireman Christopher Ariemma, pulled Knight and her 17-year-old blind and autistic son from their Normal Place apartment around 3:30 a.m. that day. The home housed four apartments and everyone was able to escape safely.
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Knight embraced Hamilton saying he will forever be her angel, the department posted on social media.
"It’s moments like this that remind us why we answer this calling," the post said.
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(Photo courtesy of Maplewood NJ FMBA L-25)
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