Newark Woman, 77, Trapped In Van For Days Amid Snowstorm

NEWARK, NJ — When the snow started to come down in Newark, a 77-year-old homeless woman took shelter inside her van. Just hours later, she woke up to find snow everywhere.

And that’s when she realized she was trapped.

On Thursday — three days after a frigid winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow in the Brick City — Newark firefighters rescued a woman who had been stranded in her vehicle near Lincoln Park.

It was an end to a strange and desperate ordeal for the woman, who told Fox 5 New York that she usually spends the night in her vehicle but stays in a hotel when the temperature drops too low.

“I got to pay my bills or pay my rent — so I'm paying my bills,” she said.

But this time when she woke up, she found that a snowplow had blocked her in.

She had some food and water, but with no foot traffic in the area due to the storm, her only way to get help was with her phone. At first, she tried to call 911. But when she was allegedly told that nobody could help her, the woman reached out to public safety officials in Newark, News 12 New Jersey reported.

It got a little complicated from there, authorities said.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose released a joint statement about the incident, which included the following details:

“At approximately 3:30 p.m. [on Wednesday], the woman contacted Newark police, indicating that she was unable to leave her van because it was stuck in snow. She provided an address of 67 Lincoln Park. The public safety telecommunicator mistakenly logged the address as 67 Lincoln Street. When police arrived at that address and were unable to locate the vehicle ... they called back the number the woman called from, but received no answer.”

Here’s what happened next, Newark authorities said:

“At approximately 9:30 a.m. [on Thursday], the woman contacted Newark firefighters, who responded at 9:36 a.m. and located the woman inside the vehicle. Firefighters shoveled a path to her driver’s side door and freed her from the vehicle. The woman refused medical attention, as well as assistance to a shelter or to a family member’s home. Firefighters further offered to shovel out her vehicle, which she also refused.”

The Newark Office of Homeless Services is working to offer assistance to the woman. However, she reportedly said that she’s uncomfortable with staying in a homeless shelter.

“We regret that human error played a role in delaying our response to the correct address, although we attempted to call her for a correction,” Ambrose said. “I’m grateful that she reached out again, and that this incident didn’t end tragically.”

There have been other close calls involving homeless people in Newark this winter amid the freezing weather.

In late January, Newark police and a social service advocate found shelter for a homeless man after he was spotted living in a tent beneath an overpass. Read More: Homeless Newark Man Gets Shelter After Being Seen Living In Tent Under Overpass

Their joint effort came just in the nick of time. Just days later, the city activated its "Code Blue" alert, which kicks in when temperatures are predicted to plummet below 25 degrees without rain or snow, and 32 degrees with precipitation or a zero-degree wind chill factor.

During a Code Blue in Newark, several shelters offer those in need a place to stay warm (see the list below).

But while some homeless people have found respite during the recent cold snap, others have not.

On Monday, police got a call about a man lying in the snow near Lincoln Park — the same spot Thursday’s rescue took place. The man, believed to be homeless, was taken to University Hospital with severe hypothermia and later pronounced dead, TAP Into Newark reported.

There were 1,859 homeless people living in Newark — about 86 percent of the entire homeless population of Essex County, according to a statewide count done in January 2020.

• See related article: Essex County Has Most Homeless In NJ; Evictions Played A Big Role

In recent years, the city of Newark has launched several initiatives and outreach programs in an effort to help homeless residents, some of whom have ended up in New Jersey after relocating from New York City.

• Newark Raises Bar For Homeless Outreach In Coronavirus Crisis
• Newark Wants To Create 300 Units Of Housing For Homeless
• Free Food, Clothes, Help At Homeless Outreach Event In Lincoln Park
• Newark Gives 50 Homeless Residents Jobs ... And Hope (VIDEO)

On Friday, Mayor Baraka and Sakinah Hoyte, the city's homelessness czar, announced that Newark has partnered with five developers and service providers to create 100 transitional, permanent and supportive housing units.

Those chosen to partner in the effort include:

• Monarch Housing Associates / Bridges Outreach, Inc.
• Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation / North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI)
• ETTA Investments LLC / Soldier ON, Urban Agriculture Cooperative, Greater Newark Conservancy, CareSparc Consulting Inc., and The Mental Health Association in New Jersey
• Domus Corporation / Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark
• 10th and 11th Street Homes LLC / AIDS Resource Foundation for Children (ARFC)

“It has long been my vision to provide our residents without addresses with decent, livable, and supportive housing, so that they can gain personal independence,” Baraka said.

“These partnerships will help create new opportunities for service providers, and both small and large developers, to collaborate and provide critical, transitional and permanent supportive housing for our most vulnerable,” the mayor added.

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