These Are The South Brunswick Police Who Saved Grandmother, Child

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — These are the police officers who saved a 61-year-old South Brunswick woman and her granddaughter Tuesday night, after the two became sickened by toxic carbon monoxide fumes leaking into their home from a portable generator.

Patch was the first to report about the incident and the story spread like wildfire. CO poisoning due to the misuse of generators is a widespread problem: Calls about carbon monoxide poisoning spiked across the state in the wake of Tuesday's tropical storm Isaias, according to Diane Calello, director of New Jersey Poison Control Center.

The NJ Poison Control Center is based at Rutgers Medical School.

South Brunswick police officers Matthew Hagood and Tyler Harpster arrived within minutes to the mobile home Tuesday night. The woman had called 911 thinking she was suffering a heart attack, as she felt groggy and could not breathe.

But the officers immediately suspected it might be carbon monoxide poisoning, as the generator had been placed outside, but right under an open window. The carbon monoxide was at 350 parts per million inside the home — lethal levels, say police. Police immediately rushed the woman and young girl outside to fresh air.

"If they had just gone to bed thinking nothing was wrong, they would have passed away by Wednesday morning," said Kendall Park Fire Chief Chris Perez.

The woman and her granddaughter were admitted to Princeton Medical Center with carbon monoxide poisoning Tuesday night. They were released Thursday morning.

"As soon as the officer got there, he heard the noise of the running generator," said Chief Raymond Hayducka. "It had been placed by the back door, but it was right under an open window, so the exhaust was coming back into the home. The fumes were still pouring into the house."

Carbon monoxide is a clear, odorless gas. People usually have no idea they have been inhaling it until they feel extremely ill. Never run a generator in an enclosed space or indoors, and that includes the basement or garage.

Contrary to popular myth, keeping the garage door open does not provide enough ventilation to keep the fumes outside. Generators must be placed fully outdoors, fifteen feet away from a home.

Keep reading: A Generator's Carbon Monoxide Sickens South Brunswick Woman, Girl (Aug. 5)

Middletown Responds To 30 Carbon Monoxide Calls Due To Generators (Aug. 5)

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