A mom and daughter both died when the elder tried saving the younger from a fire tearing through their Monmouth County home on Friday, Jan. 13.
A GoFundMe identifies the mom as Jackie Montanaro, who tried rescuing her daughter, Madelyn, from the blaze at their Brookside Drive home in Hazlet as flames ripped through it around 12:30 a.m. Both died the following day.
Jackie worked as a supervisory officer for Customs and Border Protection and is survived by her husband, William, and their other daughter Elena.
"She held everyone to an extremely high standard and worked tirelessly to make everyone around her a better officer, a better person, or simply a better family member," reads the campaign launched by members of the Customs United Service Alliance and NTEU 161.
"Jackie’s ability to get any job done at work was only second to her love and devotion to her family at home."
The fire is not believed to have been suspicious, a spokesperson from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.
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