Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. nearly collapses at press conference

ENGLEWOOD — The fatiguing heat appeared to overwhelm Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. on Tuesday as he nearly collapsed during a news conference to announce firefighter health legislation he authored with Sen. Bob Menendez.

The 81-year-old Democrat, dressed in a full suit, was initially spry at the event. He was seen shaking hands and catching up with constituents and other politicians. But he seemed to tire during Menendez’s speech, and sat down when firefighters offered him a metal folding chair.

At about noon, firefighters dragged his chair away from the podium when Pascrell's head began to sink to his chest. The congressman clutched a bottle of water and fanned himself with a folded piece of paper before disappearing behind a city firetruck that served as the news conference’s backdrop. When Pascrell reappeared, his arms were draped about the necks of two men, who slowly walked him to the exit.

Two hours later, a spokesman said the congressman was "doing fine and resting comfortably." 

"He is being kept for observation after suffering from heat exhaustion," said Stephen Tighe, of Pascrell's office. 

Tighe did not say whether Pascrell was staying at a local hospital. 

The news conference was held in a vast, un-airconditioned garage at the Englewood Fire Department headquarters on South Van Brunt Street. The building’s overhead doors were closed, and the interior fans failed to halt the rising temperature.

Dominick Marino of the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey told the crowd that Pascrell had been taken to the department’s dorm to cool down.

“Standing here in this heat, he felt a little woozy,” Marino said. “We got him some water. He’s fine; he’s inside.”

The mercury had climbed into the low 90s when the congressman succumbed. Tuesday was the fifth day of a heat wave that began on Friday. With the humidity, it could have easily felt like more than 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

The event at the fire station was Pascrell's second of the day. He appeared earlier at a news conference in Paterson for the announcement of the demolition and planned redevelopment of Paterson' Riverside Terrace housing project. 

Pascrell, who has served on the House Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee, is in his 11th term in Congress and is running for reelection. He’s been busy this week. In addition to the two events on Tuesday, he attended Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh’s inauguration on Sunday.

The congressman is running against Republican Eric P. Fisher of Fort Lee and Libertarian Claudio Belusic of Palisades Park in the general election this fall.

Always known as a tough campaigner, Pascrell beat a first-term incumbent Republican, Bill Martini, to win a seat in Congress in 1996. He’s also survived congressional gerrymandering, trouncing former Rep. Steve Rothman in a brutal primary in the newly shaped 9th Congressional District in 2012.  

Before his election to Congress, he served as mayor of Paterson and was a member of the Assembly. He first entered politics when he was appointed to the Paterson school board in the 1960s.

Staff Writers Matt Fagan and Kaitlyn Kanzler contributed to this article.