Cops Rouse Man From Sleep In Burning Glen Cove Mansion Cottage

GLEN COVE, NY — A 56-year-old man was roused from his sleep Sunday by police officers who had to kick in the back door of a burning cottage on the Mansion at Glen Cove’s property late Sunday night.

The fire broke out in the cottage, which is located on a back lot of the Dosoris Lane property, at about 10:35 p.m. and when Glen Cove police officers arrived, the front door was not accessible “due to the flames,” so Officer Selena Gustella kicked in a back door to get inside, Det. Lt. John Nagle said. Once inside, she forced open a bedroom door and found the man, who was sleeping on a couch covered in blankets and unaware that the cottage was on fire, he said.

Officer Gustella roused the man up and pulled him out of the room, and officers Frank Vezza and Derek Valance helped her escort him outside, but “due to a language barrier,” the man could not tell them if there was anyone else inside, according to Nagle.

The officers then had to go back inside the burning cottage to search for other people who could still be inside, but within seconds, the entire cottage was “fully engulfed in flames and smoke,” forcing them to leave the building, Nagle said.

The man was evaluated by Glen Cove EMS at the scene, but he refused any medical treatment, he said.

“These three officers entered a burning building without hesitation or regard for their own safety which ultimately resulted in the saving of a life,” he added.

It took firefighters from the Glen Cove City Fire Department, as well as Sea Cliff, Locust Valley, Glenwood, and Roslyn, about two hours to extinguish the flames. Glen Cove spokeswoman Shannon Vulin said the city’s fire marshal and building department also responded to the fire, as well as Mayor Timothy Tenke.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but the man did tell the officers that he had used an outdoor grill before the fire started, Nagle said. No building code violations were issued, according to Vulin.

The historic Gold Coast mansion currently operates as a catering hall and conference center. Mansion staff did not respond to a request for comment.

Glen Cove’s detective division, Nassau Police Arson/Bomb squad and Fire Marshal’s office are jointly investigating the blaze, Nagle said.