Crime & Safety
Dental Records Reveal Identity of Sparta Fire Victim
The cause and origin of the blaze that destroyed a Lake Mohawk home early Saturday morning remains under investigation.
The Morris County Medical Examiner confirmed through dental records the identity of the man killed in Saturday's Lake Mohawk blaze, Sparta Police said.
Robert A. Womack, 67, was identified on Tuesday as the homeowner who died in the early-morning fire that destroyed his Heighwood Trail residence, Sgt. John-Paul Beebe said.
Womack, who lived alone, was never married, had no children and no living relatives aside from an aunt who lives out of state, Beebe said. Womack was employed as a medical technologist for Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, N.Y.
The fire burned Womack's body beyond recognition and caused second-degree burns on Sparta firefighter Lt. Anthony Riehl's shoulder and back while he was searching the burning home for victims, Beebe said.
Riehl, 37, was transported to St. Barnabas Burn Center where he was treated and released.
The Sparta Police Department's Detective Bureau, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office, the Sussex County Fire Marshal and the New Jersey State Police are still investigating the origin and cause of the blaze.
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