Crime & Safety

Westfield Firefighter Dies after Accident at Home

A tree limb knocked the Jim Pfeiffer, 30, from a ladder Sunday afternoon at his Mountainside home.

Westfield firefighter Jim Pfeiffer died Sunday evening from injuries he sustained in a fall Sunday afternoon at his home in Mountainside.

Pfeiffer passed away at University Hospital in Newark several hours after suffering traumatic injuries during a freak accident while working on a tree in his yard. Pfeiffer, 30, fell to the ground after a falling limb knocked the ladder out from under him.

It is not known if Pfeiffer was conscious after the fall. He was transported to University Hospital, the regional center for severe trauma cases. Mayor Andy Skibitsky, in an interview Sunday afternoon, described the injuries as "very serious."

Pfeiffer, a 1998 graduate of Cranford High School, had wanted to be a firefighter his entire life. A graduate of Union County College with a degree in fire science, he has worked at the Westfield Fire Department since 1999, where he doubled as a firefighter and EMT to cover the Rescue Squad. During his high school years, he was a volunteer with the Cranford First Aid Squad.

Pfeiffer, who despite being 6'1", weighed only 160 pounds; his slight frame came in handy in August, 2005, when he  was lowered into a 10-inch wide gap at Tamaques Park to rescue a 16-month-old child who had fallen into a construction hole at the park. Pfeiffer, who received national media attention for the heroic act, rescued the child from nine feet below ground.

Pfeiffer is the third member of his high school class to die, the first being Starr Long in September 1997 and the second being Ben Snyder earlier this year. Ironically, Pfeiffer treated Long after she was hit by a car on the Garden State Parkway.

Pfeiffer, who turned 30 earlier this month, is survived by his wife and young daughter, along with his parents and younger sister.


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