Old Bridge Man Running For Mayor Saves Fallen Woman's Life

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — They say that walking door to door wins elections. In Old Bridge this past Saturday, it also saved a life, too.

That's because David Merwin, a local Old Bridge Councilman who is running for mayor, found a woman who had fallen on her living room floor while he was doing some door-to-door campaigning over the weekend. Incredibly, the woman, who lives alone and uses a walker, had been on the floor, unable to move, for at least several days before he found her.

"I believe in God, and God or some higher power wanted her to live," Merwin told Patch. "The Good Lord did not want this lady to die. I was not even supposed to be out campaigning that day."

It happened this past Saturday, Sept. 14 at around 4 p.m. Merwin is a Democrat who has been an Old Bridge councilman for the past two years. He is now challenging incumbent Mayor Owen Henry, a Republican, for the Old Bridge mayor seat. Merwin has lived in Old Bridge for nearly his entire adult life and he's also been a member of the Old Bridge volunteer first aid squad for the past 47 years, since he was 17. But on Saturday, he was just out knocking on doors, asking people for their votes.

"I was in Cheesequake Village (an adult community) and I noticed this one home on Louisiana Drive had all its lights on, which I thought was odd for the middle of the day. There was also all this mail piled up in the mailbox," Merwin said. "I knocked, and nobody answered so I left and went next door. While talking to the man next door, I said 'Hey, I'm Dave Merwin and I'm running for mayor. By the way, have you seen your neighbor recently?' He goes no, I haven't seen her for a couple of days, but I did notice all her lights are on."

That prompted Merwin to return to the home, where he began looking in the windows.

"I saw her bed was made and a medical walker was knocked over. Then I went to the next window and all I could see was the upper torso of a woman on the floor. That's when I said Oh, s***, we have a dead body here."

Merwin called 911 immediately and then began pounding on the windows and doors, trying to get in. That's when he noticed the woman, identified as 68-year-old Rose Sweeney, moved slightly at the loud noise. She called out "help!" in a faint voice, he said.

"I said, Oh wow, she's alive!," Merwin said. He kicked in the front door just seconds before paramedics arrived.

Apparently Sweeney, who cannot walk without her walker, had passed out, fallen and she could not get up. She told her rescuers she had been there for 10 days. She was very confused and dehydrated, Merwin said. It hadn't quite been 10 days, as her cell phone charging in the room next door showed a last call was made five days earlier

But the woman had been alone, on the floor, for at least several days, Merwin and EMTs were able to confirm.

"She lived alone and she definitely would have died," Merwin told Patch. Even on Wednesday, five days later, she remains at Raritan Bay Medical Center for continued evaluation. Merwin went to visit her on Sunday and he said her family thanked him profusely for what he had done.

"I walked into her hospital room and she goes, 'Who are you?" he laughed.

Merwin represents Ward 1 of Old Bridge, which includes Laurence Harbor, Cliffwood Beach and Cheesequake Village. He acknowledged that his Good Samaritan deed is definitely a boon to his election campaign.

"I could have waited a couple weeks closer to November for this to happen, but I don't think this lady could have," Merwin joked. "But in all seriousness, people should be checking on their neighbors. Don't be afraid to knock on doors or look in windows if something doesn't seem right, especially if someone lives alone or is elderly. And people should have those 'I've fallen and I can't get up' buttons. Because that's literally what happened to this lady. If they can't afford one, that is something we need to address."