By Andrew Coen
The man was found a day after the Woodmere Fire Department rescued his 85-year-old sister-in-law from the rubble.
Woodmere firefighters responded to the home, at 93 Carmen Ave., at 8 p.m. on April 12 after Nassau County police received a call that the 94-year-old was missing, and that his relatives in Ohio were unable to contact him. He was not found in the house, but Woodmere Fire Chief David Desetta said that 85-year-old Helen Bushwick, who, according to neighbors, loved to collect trash, was stuck in a six-foot pile of debris. Firefighters had to cut a hole in the wall of the house to get to her because piles of trash blocked their access.
After she was pulled from the house, Bushwick was taken to Franklin Medical Center in Valley Stream, where she was treated for dehydration. Desetta said that if firefighters had not arrived when they did, she likely would have died. "I don't think she would have made it much longer," he said.
The following day, Nassau County police and fire officials, with assistance from the Suffolk County Canine Unit, made the grim discovery of Bushwick's brother-in-law at 6:50 p.m. The man, whose name had not been released as the Herald went to press, was last seen on April 5, according to police. His body was taken to the Nassau University Medical Center morgue in East Meadow, where a medical examiner was determining the cause of death.
Fire officials said that trash - boxes, cans, clothing and papers - filled every room of the home. There were also signs of raccoons, possums and animal feces, according to fire officials. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like that in my life," said Desetta.
Beth Surowiecki, who lives on Singleton Avenue, not far from the house, said she would often see Bushwick going through people's trash and collecting items from the dumpster at the nearby Key Food supermarket. Surowiecki said that neighbors had offered to help Bushwick, who lived in the home for 28 years, but for whatever reason, the woman - who was discovered in the winter clothing she so often wore - chose to live the way she did. "She doesn't ever want help from anyone," said Surowiecki. "I really feel for the woman."
Town of Hempstead officials ruled that the house was uninhabitable, ordered the property's electricity and gas to be turned off and condemned it, according to police. Town officials said the house would be boarded up, but that Bushwick's relatives would be allowed to search through the items inside. The Hempstead Building Department will then determine whether the house is structurally sound.
Desetta said that county officials have contacted him about giving an award to the Woodmere firefighters for their efforts in rescuing Bushwick, but he explained that what they did was just part of their duties as emergency responders. "We're just doing our job," said Desetta. "That's what we train for, and that's what we're there for."
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