Pleasantville Family Loses Home in Holiday Fire

GoFundMe campaign launched to help Tyler brothers and their elderly mother rebuild after devastating blaze.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 6:07pm

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A fire at a Pleasantville, New Jersey home two days before Christmas has displaced two brothers, Mark and Raymond Tyler, and their 80-year-old mother. The longtime community advocates and local media figures are now living in a hotel while they look for a new place to live, as their homeowners' insurance will only cover temporary housing through the end of January.

Why it matters

The Tyler brothers are pillars of their community, with Mark running a local news outlet serving Black residents in Atlantic City and Raymond working as an arts and entertainment editor and radio producer. Their family's devastating loss has left them in urgent need of support from the very community they have spent years serving through their work and volunteer efforts.

The details

The fire destroyed nearly all of the family's possessions. The GoFundMe campaign launched to help them has already raised over $6,000, but the Tylers will need significant financial assistance to cover the costs of finding a new home, replacing lost items, and providing ongoing care for their elderly mother who has mobility issues.

  • The fire occurred two days before Christmas 2025.
  • The family's homeowners' insurance will only cover temporary housing through the end of January 2026.

The players

Mark Tyler

Publisher of Atlantic City Focus, a local news outlet serving Black residents in Atlantic City. He also mentors young people through a drum corps and his church ministry.

Raymond Tyler

Arts and entertainment editor for Atlantic City Focus and producer of "The Light Morning Show" on WLFR-FM 91.7, Stockton University's radio station.

The Tyler Family

A family of three, including the two Tyler brothers and their 80-year-old mother, who suffered a devastating house fire just before Christmas.

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What they’re saying

“Now they need help.”

— Krystal Knapp and Steve Lubetkin, Fundraiser organizers, New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists (GoFundMe)

“The Tyler brothers are 'pillars of their community'.”

— Krystal Knapp and Steve Lubetkin, Fundraiser organizers, New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists (GoFundMe)

What’s next

The family's homeowners' insurance will only cover temporary housing through the end of January 2026, so they urgently need to find a new place to live.

The takeaway

This devastating fire has left a family of community advocates and local media figures in dire need of support from the very people they have spent years serving. Their story highlights the importance of coming together to help those in our communities who are facing unexpected hardship.