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17-Year-Old Saves Siblings from Burning Car in NJ
On August 21, Jennifer Kleinow's daughter called her at work to report that the family's automobile was emitting black smoke.
After dropping her mother off at work, Kleinow's 17-year-old daughter was driving her younger siblings, who are 4 and 6, to her aunt's house when she noticed smoke coming from her vehicle while driving on Route 18 in Marlboro.
After forcing the car to the side of the road she removed her siblings from the vehicle.
The car had gone up in flames moments after the teen and her siblings got out.
Kleinow hurried to the site after borrowing a coworker's vehicle.
Kleinow remarked, "I pulled in front of everyone and just grabbed my kids and just cried."
Kleinow expressed her amazement and pride at her daughter's bravery.
As her daughter attempted to pull onto the shoulder, the car locked up, according to Kleinow, so it was not an easy feat.
Kleinow remarked, "She had to pull over with all of her might." "She jumped out of the car and ripped the babies out when she got onto the shoulder."
Kleinow reported that she had just gone back-to-school shopping and lost everything she had bought in the fire, despite the fact that everyone involved in the incident was physically fine.
Kleinow stated, "I didn't want them getting into it [before school] so I kept everything in my trunk." Shoes and clothes. We lost a lot because everything was in the car.
Kleinow reported that her eldest daughter lost her AirPods and a MacBook that she had saved up money for, in addition to clothes and school materials.
“I know it sounds so stupid, because my kids are alive — but that’s like their life, you know?” Kleinow said. “Technology’s so important to these kids. So now we’re just trying to figure things out.”
Kleinow has since acquired a rental vehicle to replace the one that was destroyed in the fire; however, she stated that the original vehicle was acquired only three months ago.
Furthermore, Kleinow stated that she accepted the car's "as is" papers, meaning the dealership is not liable for its state.
"My finances are tight," Kleinow remarked. "As a single mother of five children, I was living paycheck to paycheck and desperately needed a car. That has to be paid off before I even consider trying to get a new vehicle.
Kleinow expressed her hope that her insurance provider will provide her with sufficient funds to enable her to begin saving again, saying that she needs "at least a couple of dollars." She needs to find a way to replace her kids' school supplies in addition to replacing her car.
Kleinow remarked, "I think [replacing] the car and the kids' stuff would be the most help." I'm not too concerned about myself."
Kleinow's family friend Tanya Broome created a GoFundMe page to assist Kleinow in replacing the items her family lost in the fire. This is the link to the GoFundMe.
