Woman Dies After PSE&G Cuts Power To Her Home

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A New Jersey woman has died after the electricity company cut power to her house, despite her paying $500 to her account only days before.

An angry Desiree Washington is heartbroken over the death of her 68-year-old mother Linda Daniels, who relied on an electric-powered oxygen tank to breathe, reports CBS2's Scott Rapoport.

Daniels died of heart failure Thursday hours after Public Service Enterprise Group turned off the electricity at her Newark home.

"I don't want anyone to go through what we've gone through," said Washington.

Washington says $500 was paid to the company two days before, and her family had notified the company of her mother's medical issues.

PSE&G says they cut off power because of a lack of payments over several months.

The company says they were unaware of Daniels' medical needs, and they are reviewing their records. Newark police are also investigating.

Washington says when the power went out at her mother's home on Sheppard Avenue, the temperatures were in the 90's outside and even hotter inside the house.

With her mom's regular oxygen tank inoperable, Washington says the family immediately hooked her up to a reserve portable oxygen tank and called EMS, who stayed for about an hour.

All this happened as she says the family frantically called PSE&G, pleading for them to send someone to turn the power back on.

"We kept saying her reserve tank with the oxygen didn't have much time on it," said Washington. "They kept saying 'we're coming, we're coming.'

"It's wrong," she said. "It's dead wrong."

In a statement, PSE&G said it had "no indication by the customer of a medical condition in the home prior to the disconnection."

"We never would have disconnected service had we been informed of the circumstances," said the company, which extended "sincere condolences to the family."

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)