NEWARK — A city fire captain was attacked after a fire at a homeless encampment Sunday morning.

Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said firefighters responded to a fire on Riverside Avenue in an area under Route 21 around 11:05 a.m. where homeless individuals gather. The area in the North Ward is primarily industrial.

After the fire was extinguished, a homeless man threw a can of food at a fire captain.

Both the fire captain and the homeless man were taken to University Hospital. The homeless man was held for "crisis evaluation," according to Fragé. Their identities were not disclosed.

The fire captain suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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