Jersey Shore fire that killed 4 caused by man 'impaired' by opiates

A fire that killed four people at a Jersey Shore motel in March was caused by careless smoking by a long-time resident who was "impaired" by opiates, authorities said.

The early morning blaze on March 21 at the Mariner Cove Motel in Point Pleasant was ruled accidental, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Cornato said in a statement issued today. The cause, he said, was careless use of smoking materials by 45-year-old John Alberti.

Alberti, who had had opiates in his system, died of smoke inhalation along with Paulo Martins, 21, of South River and Harold Ford, 52, and Albert Sutton, 67 who were also residents of the motel. Eight others were injured, three critically. About 40 people were staying at the motel, including some who had lost their homes in Superstorm Sandy.

"This event tragically highlights how the impaired actions of those suffering from narcotic addiction can bring devastation to themselves and innocent unsuspecting individuals around them, Cornato said.

The fire began in a stuffed chair in the motel's second-floor open-air public lounge. Surveillance video captured images of Alberti sleeping with a lit cigarette in his hand. The surveillance footage ended when the camera was consumed by fire.