James D’Heron
Firefighter
Grew up in: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Died: September 3, 2004, in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2010: Unsung Hero
It was right there in the middle of his name: James D’Heron was a true American hero. On September 3, 2004, D’Heron, deputy chief of the New Brunswick Fire Department, paid the ultimate price for his valor.
A 22-year veteran of the department, D’Heron was well-acquainted with danger. In 1984, he rescued a city resident from a fire. In 1995, he saved the life of a 5-year-old child and, in a separate incident, carried a 50-year-old man out of a burning house. For these acts of courage, the department presented D’Heron with a Bronze Commendation in 1984, and the Departmental Medal of Honor and a Grand Cordon Citation in 1995.
Then came that fateful September day in 2004. D’Heron was first to arrive on the pre-dawn scene of what initially seemed like a routine house fire. He found a small blaze near a propane tank in a first-floor hallway of the two-family home and immediately turned to the task of evacuating the residents.
As he headed to the second floor to seek out the residents, D’Heron called in his final message. “Listen, I’m going up above this,” he said. “We’ve got to get some people out of here.”
By the time other members of D’Heron’s troop arrived, 13 adults and two children had fled the home—thanks to D’Heron’s efforts. But D’Heron was nowhere to be find. Suddenly, several propane tanks near the hallway fire exploded. After knocking down the flames, the firefighters rushed into the building and found D’Heron’s lifeless body on a second-floor landing.
D’Heron’s death shocked and saddened the entire New Brunswick community. He was remembered as an honest and humble public servant, and a loving family man. Even the city’s mayor knew him from their days together at St. Peter’s High School.
The son of a Newark police officer, D’Heron was just 51 when he perished. He was survived by his wife and three grown children, including son Nicky, a military policeman.
At D’Heron’s induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, Army Captain Brian Brennan, the Hall’s first Unsung Hero honoree, reflected on D’Heron’s ultimate sacrifice.
“He knew the danger he was entering into, but nonetheless, entered the to save the lives of the people he knew absolutely nothing about,” Brennan declared.
It was a perfect tribute to the man with “hero” in his name.