PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A former Plantation police officer who was severely burned in a 1995 home explosion as he tried to rescue two teenage sisters who were being held hostage by their mother’s boyfriend has died, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced this week.
According to PBSO, Joseph Alu Jr. passed away on Dec. 24. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Alu’s wife told them he had fallen ill and was forced to retire in 2024 due to his illness.
“He faithfully served the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and our community from October 2017 until his retirement in February 2024,” PBSO posted on its Facebook page.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, Alu was burned on more than 20 percent of his body on July 25, 1995, after he and Plantation police Detective Jim O’Hara entered a home and tried to rescue sisters Anne Marie Smith, 14, and Hideko Smith, 16, who were being held hostage in a bedroom that had been doused with gasoline.
Authorities said the suspect, Steven Joseph, 32, poured gasoline on the sisters and the officers before setting the room on fire, causing an explosion.
Both sisters and the suspect died. O’Hara survived, but sustained burns to more than 77% of his body.
According to detectives, the sisters’ mother, Angela Marie Smith, kicked Joseph out of her home where they lived with her three daughters after the sisters accused him of molesting them.
The Sun-Sentinel reported that following the tragedy, Alu, who had a long road to recovery, advocated for changes in law “that would ensure first responders continued to receive health benefits after being injured in the line of duty.”
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