Woman In Shadow Lake Fire Dies, Her Daughter Says

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The local woman who was injured when a fire broke out in her Shadow Lake condo on Dec. 15 has died, her daughter posted on Facebook.

Gladys Bowden, 88, passed away Saturday, Jan. 12, four weeks after she was nearly killed the night of the fire, which killed the couple's cat.

Shadow Lake Village is a 55 and over age-restricted condo community in the River Plaza section of Middletown. When the fire broke out at 7:20 p.m. that evening, a security guard at the front gate ran to the burning unit. Gladys' husband, George Bowden, 91, had made it out of the burning home, but he told the guard his wife was still trapped inside.

Security officer Keith Thornton, 31, ran inside the home and found the elderly woman lying on her kitchen floor. He tried to move the woman towards the door. However, due to the excessive smoke, he himself had to run out to get fresh air. It was then that Middletown Patrolman Nicholas Manochio ran inside and was able to pull Gladys out.

A photo from the scene is above, provided by Middletown Township.

At the time, Middletown police said that Gladys and her husband were transported to Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank to be treated for non-life threatening smoke inhalation. However, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the couple, their medical issues worsened: Gladys was moved to an ICU burn unit at St. Barnabas in Livingston to receive specialized lung treatment.

George also fractured his hip after he fell while attempting to walk at the hospital.

The couple's adult children were with with during their rehabilitation, their daughter, Lisa Bowden wrote on the GoFundMe page. On her personal Facebook page on Jan. 12, Bowden wrote that Gladys had succumbed to her injuries early that morning.

According to RedBankGreen, which was the first to report of her death, George and Gladys were extremely active in the Red Bank community, and were very well-known and respected in town: In 2015, the Red Bank council honored both the Bowdens for their volunteer service: Gladys was cited for her work with Navesink Garden Club, and for her service on the borough’s Human Relations Advisory Committee. George was the founding member of Red Bank's Historic Preservation Commission.

The fire was electrical in origin.

The couple's cat was found later during a search of the building.

Photo of the Dec. 15, 2018 fire used with permission from Middletown Twp.

Past reporting: Cop, Guard Save Woman, 87, In Shadow Lake Fire In Middletown