‘Like a car exploded:’ Loud boom echoes in NJ town; house catches on fire

WESTFIELD, N.J. (PIX11) – A loud explosion shook Westfield, N.J. Monday night and a house left in disarray caught on fire, according to neighbors.

The boom was heard around 10:15 p.m. on Tudor Oval.

“We heard a loud boom, explosion,” said Maria Logrippo. “Sounded like a car exploded out front; turned around and saw flames. The neighbor screaming, ‘It’s a fire, it’s a fire, call 911!'”

Logrippo told PIX11 News that an elderly couple once lived in the house, but she believes they have since died. Neighbors said they don’t believe anyone was in the house when it caught fire.

“It started in, like, the middle of the house,” Logrippo said. “It looked like debris on fire.”

The couple’s son “comes and goes” from the house, according to Logrippo. She called the house, “more or less an abandoned house.”

The house was seemingly not maintained once the couple died and never cleaned out. The landscaping was overgrown and trash and debris were left everywhere, neighbors told PIX11 News.

“If you take a look at the front yard, it’s full of debris,” said Colby Shovlin, another neighbor. “And the back. The front and the back blew up.”

There was evidence of an explosion, according to Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro. He told PIX11 News that the son inherited the house and was using it as storage, which was why there was so much debris.

The Westfield Fire Department and state fire marshal are investigating what caused the fire.

No criminality is believed to be involved, Battiloro said.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018 . She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.