911 tape reveals details on fire that killed Sheridans

SKILLMAN, N.J. - His voice calm but concerned, a resident of Meadow Run Drive made the early-morning 911 call last month that alerted authorities to the burning home of Cooper University Health System CEO John P. Sheridan Jr. and his wife, Joyce.

The man smelled smoke and heard a beeping noise inside his neighbors' Montgomery Township home, he told an emergency dispatcher. Soon afterward, he was knocking on the Sheridans' front door and heard what he believed to be a person trying to escape.

"Somebody's trying to get out, they're banging on the door," the neighbor said during the three-minute Sept. 28 call, noting that he thought the person was upstairs. He observed white smoke coming from a top-floor window.

Authorities quickly arrived at the house, and the call, placed about 6:15 a.m., ended. John Sheridan, 72 and a GOP insider known for shaping public policy, was pronounced dead at the scene. Joyce Sheridan, 69, a respected retired schoolteacher, was declared dead at a local hospital shortly afterward.

The short recording - obtained Wednesday by The Inquirer through an open public records request - was the first glimpse, albeit limited, into a case with limited information released to the public.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office quickly countered the accounts of the 911 call after its release, saying the noises were believed to be the results of the blaze and not made by a person.

"Despite what the 911 caller's observations were at the time, based on subsequent interviews with both the 911 caller and the first responding police officer, we are of the belief that the sounds that were being heard by both individuals were the fire from the dwelling as it was burning," said a statement Wednesday by Capt. Jack Bennett, spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office. "We continue to wait for the laboratory analyses as well as determinations from the regional medical examiner."

Beyond that, officials would not say what else they learned from the investigation, or what police saw once they entered the locked home.

Much remains unknown to the public about the Sheridans' deaths because authorities have not answered questions about the case. The Prosecutor's Office has said that the fire, contained to the master bedroom, was intentionally set and that there was no threat to public safety.

Bennett has not returned repeated calls from The Inquirer since Sept. 28, and has not answered questions about the deaths.

Specifically, Bennett has not said whether authorities have preliminary determinations of what caused the deaths, whether the couple had injuries beyond those sustained in the fire, or whether investigators know who set the fire. He has said investigators are waiting for the results of additional tests, but would not elaborate what tests are being conducted.

While some of the caller's early observations have since been invalidated by authorities, the 911 tape is the first detailed account released regarding the Sunday morning when the Sheridans died.

Tom Wilson, a spokesman for the Sheridan family, said in an e-mail that the 911 call "speaks for itself" and declined further comment.

At the recording's start, the neighbor tells the dispatcher: "I don't know if anybody is home."

He agrees to knock on the door at the dispatcher's request, as police and fire crews are sent.

The neighbor says no one answers when he rings the bell and knocks. He could not open the front door, but he could hear sounds inside.

"I just heard something, though," the neighbor says. "Somebody tapped on the window."

About two minutes into the conversation, the neighbor says smoke is coming from top of the house. He tells the dispatcher about the banging noises.

Emergency crews soon arrived and rushed to the master bedroom on the second floor.

Efforts by The Inquirer to reach the neighbor who placed the call were unsuccessful Wednesday.

John Sheridan had political ties to three governors, including Gov. Christie, in addition to his role at Cooper.

Before joining Cooper in Camden in 2005, Sheridan was a senior partner and cochairman of the Morristown law firm of Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti L.L.P. He also served as general counsel to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Sheridan had been an attorney for the Carrier Clinic, a nonprofit psychiatric hospital and drug rehabilitation center in Belle Mead. He also served on the clinic's board of trustees.

Sheridan was state transportation commissioner under Gov. Thomas H. Kean and chairman of the board of the New Jersey Transit Corp. from 1982 to 1985.

Joyce Sheridan was a retired history teacher who had taught in the South Brunswick and Cedar Grove School Districts. At a memorial service, her family described her as the glue who held the family together.

The couple are survived by four adult sons.

Editorial: Why the secrecy? It's time for the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office to shed some light. A22

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