A nun who jumped out of an old convent window to escape a raging fire in Staten Island is recovering from her injuries at Staten Island University Hospital. The fire broke out at the St. Joseph Hill Academy shortly before 5:30 on Saturday morning, injuring Sister Regina Gegic and four firefighters and causing extensive damage to the convent and chapel. Gegic broke three vertebrae in her back after jumping from a second story window.
The Post reports that more than a dozen nuns are visiting the convent from around the world for the 100th anniversary of Daughters of Divine Charity in the United States, which runs the academy. The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is currently assisting in the investigation into the suspicious blaze.
"She's very conscious now," Sister Mary William McGovern told NBC New York in response to inquires about Sister Gegic. "She's just in severe pain and she's awaiting evaluation by a neurosurgeon." Timothy Cardinal Dolan visited her yesterday and told the Post, "Oh, my Lord, her spirits are so good. She’s in pain, but she’s so hopeful and so appreciative of all the prayers and everything. She said that her guardian angel was taking care of her."
Sister Gegic and two other nuns were staying in the old convent at the school, while the visiting nuns were staying at a newly-built convent, which was not damaged in the fire. But the new convent sustained $15,000 worth of damage just before it opened after a group of teenagers broke in and vandalized it. Police later arrested three teens from Geller House, a residential intervention center for special-needs youth located across the street from St. Joseph Hill Academy. On Saturday detectives were seen entering Geller House, but there's currently no indication that any residents there were involved.
