2 Good Samaritans Save Sleeping Dad, 4 Children from N.J. House Fire

An 85-year-old man and an unidentified woman are being praised as heroes after they alerted a sleeping family that their house was on fire in Kendall Park, New Jersey, this week.

On Wednesday, the man — who was identified as the family’s neighbor Santo Livio — told police that he looked out at his yard around 5:30 a.m. to check for animals when he saw a “puff of smoke” coming from the garage of his neighbor’s home, according to a statement from the South Brunswick Township Police Department.

Livio said he went out and asked a woman who was walking down the street if it appeared to be smoke, which prompted them both to try to alert the home's residents by banging on windows and doors, police said.

The man told ABC News that he had banged on a window at the house for about a minute or two before returning to his home to call 911, while the woman continued to bang on the front door of the home.

"When I got back to my door, I saw the people that lived in the house come out and she told them their house was on fire,” Livio told the outlet. “And the man said, 'What fire?' And she says, 'Look.' He looked up and he said, 'Oh my God.' "

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The South Brunswick Township Police Department said 50 firefighters from three different departments responded to the fire, which took about 20 minutes to extinguish.

Investigators believe that the fire began in the garage, but police said the cause and point of origin are still being investigated by the Fire Safety Bureau.

“I credit Mr. Livio, along with the unidentified woman, and their quick thinking and heroic actions, with saving the family,” fire chief Chief Raymond J. Hayducka said in the police statement.

Livio said the family — which also includes a mother who had been working overnight as a nurse and was not home during the fire — came by to thank him for alerting them to the fire, which left them without any injuries.

He told ABC News that he was just doing his part as a "good neighbor," stating, "I hope that what I did for somebody they would do the same for me."

ncG1vNJzZmiolaS9rbGNnKamZ5ekvKV50pqkmqqZqa6vv4ysmK%2BdXai5prHPoqWgZZSWsW6AjJyfoqSUp7Kvec2jZKGnpaiybrLIq5xmb2Vlg3p%2BkA%3D%3D