PARAMUS, NJ — A Paramus woman says that while she was in Virginia helping her daughter with a health issue last year, a pipe burst in her home, spewing water everywhere.
More than a year later, she needs help to save the 100-year-old structure, she says.
"My family's roots on Cedar Lane go back four generations, to 1926," Deborah Maletic wrote on social media this month. "My father served the community he loved as a captain with the Paramus Police Department for 39 years and as a volunteer firefighter with Company No. 3 for an incredible 69 years. He was raised on this property. I was raised here. And I raised my daughter here."
Maletic says that on March 19, 2026, she was visiting her daughter, who was receiving treatment for a health problem.
A pipe burst in the upstairs bathroom of her home in Paramus, and the Fire Department called to tell her that water was rushing out the door.
"The damage was catastrophic," she wrote. "Floors collapsed, walls came down, and water poured throughout the house, soaking virtually everything we owned. My first call was to State Farm, our homeowners' insurance company. I was frightened and overwhelmed, but I was reassured that we were fully insured."
But a year later, she says, the insurance company hasn't paid enough to save the home.
"As seniors, we suddenly had to start over, replacing the basic necessities of everyday life while facing serious health problems, grief and overwhelming financial uncertainty. What made the disaster even more devastating ... Our calls went unanswered for weeks ... by the time State Farm addressed what remained, mold had overtaken virtually everything."
On top of all of that, she was dealing with a spinal problem, and her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
She said that she has since heard about many other families dealing with delays and disputes with the insurer.
"The cost of replacing an entire household, finding somewhere to live, dealing with the damaged property, pursuing this fight, holding onto our home and covering medical and veterinary expenses [for their pets] has become overwhelming," she wrote.
The family has started a GoFundMe. As of Wednesday, it was less than half funded.
"Even if you cannot donate, sharing it means more than you know," wrote the organizer, Tara Setmayer. "After nearly 100 years of my family's memories on this Paramus property, we are determined to do everything we can to keep it and rebuild our lives."
She added a followup note saying that the family has filed a lawsuit since starting the fundraiser, but they need more funds to keep fighting.
She also said she had made a promise to her grandfather, a World War II veteran who served as Paramus' police captain.
"Before my grandfather died at 90, I promised him I would do everything I could to keep the property in our family," she wrote.
The fundraiser is here.
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