What began as a routine emergency call spiraled into a deadly and disturbing scene Monday evening in Piscataway, New Jersey, leaving four people dead and investigators searching for answers inside a quiet residential home.
According to the New York Post, police were dispatched to a residence on River Road around 5:30 p.m. after a 911 caller reported an individual armed with a knife.
A violent and fast-moving threat quickly confronted officers arriving at the scene after an unidentified man immediately charged at responding officers while wielding a large blade.
Sources later confirmed to Fox 5 that the weapon was a machete.
Officers attempted to stop the suspect without using lethal force.
According to WABC, police deployed their Tasers as the man advanced, but the effort failed to subdue him.
Despite repeated attempts to halt the attack, the suspect continued moving toward officers while holding the machete. With the threat escalating, police opened fire, fatally shooting the man outside the home.
Only after the confrontation ended did authorities make a grim discovery inside the residence.
Police found three people dead within the home, officials said. The victims have not yet been publicly identified.
A source told WABC that two of the deceased were grandparents. The identity of the third victim, as well as the relationship between the suspect and the victims, remains unclear.
Authorities have not yet determined how the three individuals inside the home died, and no cause of death has been released.
Late Monday, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to requests for additional comment as the investigation continued.
Local officials emphasized that the incident does not pose a broader threat to the public.
“The incident appears isolated, and there is no ongoing danger to the surrounding community,” the Piscataway Township Police Department said in a Facebook post.
Law enforcement leaders acknowledged the emotional toll the incident had on the officers involved.
“We are aware of the horrific crime in Middlesex County tonight. All our members that were involved are being evaluated. Thank you to all who have reached [out] to offer support,” New Jersey State PBA president Peter Andreyev said in a statement.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office are jointly investigating the fatal police shooting and the deaths discovered inside the home.
