‘LEFT TO DIE’ OVER LATE BILL
Power for oxy was cut off
A New Jersey woman who relied on an electric-powered oxygen tank to breathe died just hours after her utility company cut service to her home over unpaid bills.
Linda Daniels, 68, died of congestive heart failure at about 4 p.m. Thursday — roughly six hours after PSE&G cut the electricity to her Newark home, according to her daughter, Desiree Washington.
“She is somebody’s mother . . . You took a life. Was it worth it?” Washington, 50, told reporters Monday, calling the tragedy “senior abuse.”
“God is watching you and you’re not gonna get away with anything,” said the heartbroken woman.
PSE&G said in a statement that it turned off the power due to outstanding payments over the course of several months.
“While there will be a complete investigation of this matter, our records indicate that this account was severely in arrears and we made at least 15 attempts to notify the customer since January 2018, including two visits to the residence prior to the disconnection,” PSE&G said.
Two days before Daniels’ death, Washington says a family member made an electronic payment of $500 to the company, bringing the balance to $1,400.
Daniels’ family made payments to the utility company totaling $950 for the months of April, May and June, records provided to The Post show.
Washington also claims that her family had notified PSE&G of her mother’s medical issues “a couple of years ago” and says that more recently St. Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx alerted the utility.
But PSE&G said it had no knowledge of Daniels’ medical condition.
“We have reviewed our records dating back to 2016 and there is no indication by the customer of a medical condition in the home prior to disconnection,” the company said, adding: “We never would have disconnected service had we been informed of the circumstances.”
Washington claims that when she informed PSE&G of her mother’s passing, a rep said: “Well, you owe us $1,400. You have an outstanding bill. If we turn the lights on, we are not going to do nothing but come back in seven days and turn the lights off until we get more money.”
PSE&G, without answering any questions beyond its statement, said it is “saddened by this terrible tragedy and we extend our sincere condolences to the family” and that it is “carefully reviewing everything that happened around this terrible incident.”