Stamford brothers react to 'double tragedy' that began with house fire

Their brother, Peterson Joseph, 44, is in critical condition after jumping from an upper-floor window in a house fire on Clinton Avenue just after 5 a.m. on Dec. 7.

Frank Recchia

Dec 27, 2024, 2:19 AM

Updated 16 hr ago

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Riverson Joseph and his brother Steve, both of Stamford, say their holiday season has been anything but joyful.
Their brother, Peterson Joseph, 44, is in critical condition after jumping from an upper-floor window in a house fire on Clinton Avenue just after 5 a.m. on Dec. 7.
"First we were dealing with one nightmare -- watching our brother fight for his life in the hospital -- then along came a second tragedy," Steve Joseph told News 12.
The brothers say their mom, 66-year-old Rose Joseph, had a heart attack after learning about her son's condition and died six days later.
"I'm still in shock that my brother jumped from the third floor onto concrete. I don't know how he did that. That's a superman. He's brave because I don't know if I could have done that," said Riverson Joseph.
The men say their brother -- who jumped before firefighters arrived on scene -- suffered severe burns to his face and body in the fire. They also say he broke his neck, arm and wrist in the fall.
"We are still trying to process what happened and it's been very sad -- very, very, very sad -- and very depressing," Steve Joseph said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
A GoFundMe has been set up, click here for more information.