January 4, 2025 – (Update from Ewing Police Department)
EWING, NJ (MERCER)–On January 2, 2025, at approximately 3:00 p.m. Ewing Police Dispatch received multiple 9-1-1 calls regarding a fire at 860 Lower Ferry Road, Cambridge Hall, a multi-unit apartment complex.
Arriving officers began evacuating the building and attempted to reach the main apartment on the
fourth floor where the fire originated and encountered heavy smoke and flames. The first responding officers learned of a possible entrapped juvenile victim on the fourth floor. All three Ewing Fire Departments, Stations 30, 31 and 33 arrived and were able to reach the fourth-floor apartment and rescue an unresponsive six-year-old child. The child was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries. The juvenile male victim, who was visiting relatives, has been identified as six-year-old Jayden Gotell-Watkins of Baldwinsville, New York.
Additional Fire Departments from Hopewell, Trenton, Pennington and Lawrence assisted in the search and rescue efforts while extinguishing the fire. Ewing, Trenton, Lawrence and Hopewell EMS as well as Capital Health Medics tended to and transported victims to area hospitals. Eleven police officers, one firefighter and three residents were also transported to area hospitals for injuries ranging from minor bums to smoke inhalation and exhaustion. All police officers that were treated were released from the hospitals.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental. Anyone with additional information to provide is asked to contact Ewing Police Detective David Hartmann at (609) 882-1313 ext. 7544.
