One dead, two reported hospitalized in Marlboro fire

A thirty year old man was found dead in a Barn Swallow Road fire yesterday morning according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

Fire on Barn Swallow Road in @MarlboroTwp this morning led to the discovery of a deceased man. The fire does not appear to be suspicious at this time. Additional details to follow once they become available.

— Monmouth Prosecutor (@MonCoProsecutor) December 20, 2018

The victim was a special needs person and well known in the neighborhood according to two residents MMM spoke with. One resident said the man’s first name was Alex and that he was autistic. Another said that he frequently walked through the neighborhood of town homes off Ryan Rd.

According to a gofundme page set up for the family, there were two people hospitalized as a result of the fire, in addition to the deceased victim. The Prosecutor’s Office has yet to verify that report.

Update: The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed the identity of the victim, Aleksandr Prokopenko, 30. Two Prokopenko sisters made it out of the home safely.

A gofundme page for the Prokopenko family has raised $27,000 from 356 donors in nineteen hours, as of 11:10 on Friday morning.

Another gofundme page for the family in the adjoining burnt property has raised $2,550.