Tried to Save Kids
Mourn Jail Captain Who Died in Fire

By REUVEN BLAU

Correction Department employees last week mourned the loss of Captain Renee Chong, who died in a fire Oct. 30 after she ran back inside her Queens home in an attempt to save her two young children from the blaze.

RENEE CHONG

"Captain Chong touched a lot of hearts," said Ronald Whitfield, president of the Correction Captains Association.

Ran Back to Save Kids

Firefighters found her clutching her 5-year-old son, Noah. Her other son, Elliot, 10, was discovered a few feet away, fire officials said.

The three-alarm fire at the two-family home on 149th Rd. in Rosedale was started by faulty electrical wiring around a hot tub in the bathroom, according to authorities. Captain Chong ran out of the house seeking help, but raced back inside to get her children, when the floor collapsed.

She was remembered as a popular Captain and doting mother. "She always had a smile on her face and was a very uplifting human being," said Sidney Schwartzbaum, president of the Assistant Deputy Wardens/Deputy Wardens Association.

RONALD WHITFIELD: 'Touched many hearts.'

While the department employs roughly 830 Captains, almost everyone knew Captain Chong, her distraught colleagues said.

"She was a very dynamic person," department spokesman Stephen J. Morello said. "She was really focused and independent. She had her goals in mind: to take tests, make Captain, and buy a house."

'Staff Distraught'

The department dispatched its counseling unit to the Queens Court Detention Center, Robert N. Davoren Center and to the Rose M. Singer Center, where Captain Chong worked. "The staff was very distraught," Mr. Schwartzbaum said.

She began her career in 1988 as a Correction Officer.

In 1999, she was promoted to Captain, where she became known as an active advocate. "She's always been a strong supporter of the union," Mr. Whitfield said. "Whenever her tour allowed it, she was always at the union meetings. She was very vocal."

He recalled her addressing her colleagues at the meetings. "I would open the floor to discussion, and Captain Chong would raise her hand and then give her words of wisdom," he remembered. "She would try to enlighten us. She was 40 years young, but she was very wise."

'Hoping It Wasn't So'

Captain Whitfield said he rushed to the scene in the morning after hearing about the fire from a delegate who worked with Captain Chong. "When I arrived there I saw a lot of members of service from the department who were off duty who heard about the tragedy," he recalled. "They came there for support and were hoping it wasn't so."

Everyone prayed that Ms. Chong wasn't in the house, "But we had a feeling that she was," he remarked. "Her car was in the driveway. We tried to call her cell phone, but it went right to voicemail."

They waited several hours until the bodies were removed. "We all stayed right there to give her the honor that she deserved," Mr. Whitfield said. "She was a very loving woman and loving mother, and we are going to miss her."

Captain Chong will be buried with full department honors. The viewing is scheduled for Nov. 8 from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Grace Methodist Church in Valley Stream, 21 South Franklin Ave. The funeral is set to start right after that at the same location.