New Mission For Dad Who Lost Wife, Child In Hazlet Fire

HAZLET, NJ — Last year the Hazlet community rallied around William Montanaro, the father of a local family that suffered a tragic loss in a fire in January 2023.

And now, a year later, he says he has a new mission - to help those in federal law enforcement needing support in times of trouble.

Montanaro says he is still in awe of the outpouring of support for his family, and he intends to move back to his home on Brookside Avenue this summer with his older daughter to again be part of the Hazlet community that was there for him after the tragedy.

"It's amazing what everyone did for us - it's still amazing," he said recently.

And now a new job will help him give back in more ways, he said.

Montanaro has been named chief executive officer of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation. He had been the chief operating officer of the Monmouth Council of the Boy Scouts of America previously.

In his new role, he will oversee the foundation's mission to support families of federal agents and officers who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, as well as those families affected by personal tragedies or financial hardship - as he was.

In January 2023, Montanaro lost his wife Jacqueline, 40, who was a U.S. Customs & Border Protection supervisory officer, and his 6-year-old daughter Madelyn in a fire at their home. He and his older daughter survived. The foundation came to his assistance almost immediately, he said.

"The mission of my life changed that day," said Montanaro. "Amid the tragedy, it meant the world to know that (the foundation) didn't just show up, they truly cared about my family. The organization showcases the best in humanity; leading it isn't work for me, it's a labor of love."

Montanaro said he is adapting to his other role as a single dad. Returning to Hazlet, where his elder daughter has friends and school, will be best for the family, he said.

His daughter Elena tells him to "think of the happy things" that made up their family life before the fire. And he said he tries to focus on that. His daughter, he added, "is very strong."

In his job he will deal with issues across the U.S., but it still enables him to work remotely, so he can manage single parenting more easily, he said.

The foundation is the "financial first responder," supporting families of federal agents and officers from agencies including the ATF, CBP (Customs and Border Protection), DEA, FBI, IRS, and Secret Service. It has disbursed hundreds of financial grants over its 20-year history, with total assistance exceeding $4 million, the organization said.

Jacqueline Montanaro heroically went back into her Hazlet home after her husband to try to rescue Madelyn. She was a U.S. Customs supervisor and her bravery was honored last fall at the Archdiocese of Newark’s 30th annual Blue Mass.

She and Madelyn were revived at the scene and were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, but efforts to save their lives failed.

The Hazlet community, law enforcement and many in the area rallied to support and grieve with the family after the Jan. 14 house fire. A community vigil after the fire saw at least 2,000 gathered at Veterans Park in Hazlet.

William Montanaro's loss strikes a deep chord with the foundation, said its Honorary Chairman Tom Ridge. Ridge was a congressman, governor of Pennsylvania and the inaugural Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

"William embodies the reason we exist: to be a light in the darkness for families enduring unimaginable pain, and to support those who sacrifice every day to keep our nation safe," said Ridge.

Montanaro, Ridge said, "is uniquely positioned to ensure that we have their backs, just as they have ours."

In 2024, FEHSF hopes to increase its grants for line-of-duty deaths to $25,000 per family, as well as to establish a scholarship fund for the children of fallen agents and officers. For more information and to donate, visit https://www.fehsf.org/.

The Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation is a nonprofit humanitarian, apolitical and patriotic corporation, it says. It was formed as a private/public partnership of concerned business leaders and former and current high-ranking federal law enforcement officials.