Middletown Mourns Teen Who Died In Fire, Raises $3,000 For Family

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown, particularly the North Middletown section, continues to mourn the death of an 18-year-old girl who died far before her time, tragically perishing in a fire last week in her own home. Even more heartbreakingly, Aubree LaRusso, pictured above with her mother, died clutching her two-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever puppy, her uncle said on Facebook.

While her mother, her younger brother and a friend staying with them all made it out of the burning home, neither the young woman nor her dog could get out in time, investigators with the Monmouth County prosecutor's office determined. The county prosecutor investigates all fatal fires. The fire broke out shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday, July 17 in the living room, near Aubree's bedroom door, and the incredibly fast-moving flames blocked her exit, a spokesman for the county prosecutor said.

"Those are all wooden bungalows in that part of North Middletown/Keansburg and they burn easily," said Kyle Bracken, a close family friend of the LaRusso's who is also a volunteer firefighter in that neighborhood. "It doesn't take long for them to really get going. Police officers got there within a minute and a half of the 911 call, but fire was already blowing out of every window."

As he did most days, her father, Joseph LaRusso, who works on the docks in Jersey City, had already left at 3:30 a.m. that day to go to work, Bracken said. So he was not home at the time.

The one-story bunglaow on Neptune Place, pictured above, was completely destroyed by the fire and is uninhabitable. The family is staying with a cousin in the area.

Aubree had just graduated from Middletown High School North this past June.

"She got good grades and she was very protective of her little brother, who is about 15 or 16," Bracken said. "I don't know what her plans were for after high school. I think she was going to work somewhere."

"I saw her in the hallways many times, but never really talked," said fellow Middletown North student Sara Deuidicibus, who was so struck by Aubree's death she wrote a poem about it. "This really is awful; I’ve been upset ever since I’ve heard. It really hit close to home."

"Aubree was a polite, generous girl always thinking of others," her obituary read.

"The family is just a blue-collar family and I can tell you they did not do anything without each other. Every picture they have together, it's always with their two kids," Bracken said. "The family did everything together."

Bracken said he and Aubree's father met on Sunday and "stood on the porch and just sobbed. We are all just overcome by this. When you lose somebody in your own neighborhood it's not easy."

On Sunday, Bracken organized a fundraiser for the LaRusso family at Station #5 firehouse on Thompson Avenue. He was stunned when a number of local businesses and civic groups donated up to $3,000.

Donors include the Ideal Beach Community Association, the Middletown Twp. Fire Department, Highlights Hair Salon and Salon Divinci. Nearby Bolger Middle School donated two backpacks and the Middletown Education Association gave $500 in Visa gift cards for the family, Bracken said.

"Some people gave $100 in cash," he said. Strength and Honor Motorcycle Club donated $500 in cash and gift cards, and Roughnecks Motorcycle Club donated, as well. Other North Middletown residents donated clothing and toiletries for the family.

Aubree LaRusso was laid to rest on Saturday, July 21, and services were at Pfleger Funeral Home on Tindall Road.

*For Aubree*

I didn’t know Aubree too well,
I saw her in the hallway a few times,
But I was never close to her.
But when I heard what happened to her and her family,
None of that mattered.
My heart shattered, and I felt pain flow through me.
I sobbed, I prayed, and I hoped it was just a nightmare.
I felt a piece of my heart was gone with her passing,
Because I felt the pain she endured.
I felt my skin burn, my head dizzy,
But for me, it was just a nightmare;
For Aubree, it was her reality.
We need to accept that this is not fair.
Neither Aubree nor her family deserved this -
But it happened.
Aubree wrote for her senior quote: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams - Eleanor Roosevelt”
And that is the wisest legacy to leave behind.
Aubree is right...
We need to chase our passions, keep dreaming, and fulfill our purpose in life.
We can’t stop tragedies from happening,
And we don’t know how we will go,
But living in fear will never accomplish our goals;
And even though I didn’t know Aubree -
I believe that is how she wants us to think.
And to her family, words could never mend your pain;
But I hope you understand that others share that pain -
Even a stranger like myself
Aubree is a beautiful girl,
And will forever live in our hearts and lives,
Whether we realize it or not.
Every time we accomplish a goal,
Every time we chase towards our dreams,
Aubree’s spirit stays alive and well.
Even if we can’t see her or hear her,
If we look deep in our hearts,
I know we can feel her.
We can feel her legacy,
We can feel her beauty,
And use her strength to fight for what we want in life -
And never settle.
In my heart, Aubree is forever alive...
She will always accompany my journey towards success,
She will always encourage me to love others,
And while she never got the chance to live her dreams -
I know I will not stop until I find my purpose and reach it...
for Aubree”

~ Sara Deuidicibus

Past Patch reporting: Aubree Larusso, 18, Dies In Tragic Middletown Fire

Photos from Patch promotional partner GoFundMe - https://www.gofundme.com/aubre...

https://www.gofundme.com/helpi...
And the Middletown Twp. all-volunteer fire department.