YWN has repeatedly warned our readers about the dangerous and life-threatening presence of “Hatzulas Nefashos”, the so-called volunteer ambulance service operating in Jackson. Our warnings, and multiple warnings from rabbanim, have been clear: this organization’s existence poses a literal threat to the lives of the greater Lakewood kehilla. On Tuesday evening, those warnings turned into a terrifying reality. The incident took place in a residential area off E. Veterans Highway in Jackson, when a young child suffered a serious head injury. Blood was visibly coming from the child’s ear – a telltale sign of a possible skull fracture and an emergency requiring immediate paramedic intervention. Contrary to the warnings of more than 100 Rabbonim, the parents called the group for assistance. Hatzulas Nefashos’ EMTs arrived on the scene but were wholly unprepared for the gravity of the situation. Knowing that the child needed urgent paramedic care, they failed to take the necessary action. Instead of calling Hatzolah of Central Jersey (HCJ), which has a proven track record and certified paramedics, they chose to call the Ocean County paramedic service, only allegedly to be told that help would take a staggering 20 minutes to arrive. Despite this critical delay, Hatzulas Nefashos still did not reach out to HCJ. Instead, they made the reckless decision to attempt to transport the child themselves (with only BLS) to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, knowing they lacked the proper training and equipment to handle such a severe medical emergency. As they raced down Jackson Mills Road, approximately 45 minutes after the initial emergency call, the unthinkable happened: the child took a turn for the worse in the back of their ill-equipped BLS ambulance lacking the higher level of care that Paramedics provide. Finally panicking, Hatzulas Nefashos made the decision they should have made from the start. They called HCJ, begging for paramedics to intervene. HCJ’s paramedics swiftly arrived and took over the child’s care, but by then, precious time had been lost. The child, who had been denied critical care for far too long, was rushed to the hospital, where they remain in serious condition in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit). A furious relative of the family reached out to Yeshiva World News to share their outrage, pleading with the community to heed the longstanding warnings about the dangers posed by Hatzulas Nefashos. They urged the public to listen to YWN and the rabbanim of greater Lakewood, who have made it clear that only Hatzolah of Central Jersey is properly equipped to handle serious medical emergencies. This near-tragedy serves as yet another chilling reminder of the risks associated with Hatzulas Nefashos. We cannot afford to allow this dangerous organization to continue operating, endangering the lives of our loved ones. Let this serve as a wake-up call to everyone: when it comes to medical emergencies, trust only Hatzolah of Central Jersey. YWN is inserting the following audio recordings with time stamps (that were available on social media), so Lakewood residents can see for themselves how this horror unfolded: Hatzulas Nefashos was allegedly called at around 6:20PM. (When they arrived on scene, HCJ was unaware of the emergency). At 6:52 on the recording (32 minutes after Hatzulas Nefashos was called), a HCJ member, unit “L-104” who was working ALS (paramedic services) for RWJ at the time, […]