PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Officials in Piscataway, New Jersey, said Tuesday that a man with a machete killed his mother and grandparents before he was shot and killed by police.
Officers responded to a home on River Road around 5:30 p.m. on Monday after receiving a 911 call from a man reporting that an individual had a knife.
When officers arrived at the scene, they say the suspect was holding a machete. When they tried to use tasers, they say it did not stop him.
Authorities say he charged at the officers with the weapon, and that is when they shot and killed him.
When police went inside the home, they found three bodies that are believed to be the suspect’s mother and grandparents.
“I was pretty much about to start making dinner, and then I just heard the cops come next door,” said neighbor Jessica Conroy. “I looked outside the window, and they had their weapons drawn, and then we heard the shots go off.”
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office are investigating their deaths. Officials say there were no prior incidents at the house.
Neighbors told WABC-TV that they had nice encounters with those who lived at the home in the past.
“Very nice, lady. Very nice, quiet neighborhood. It’s so tragic that something like this happens,” said neighbor Keith Heron.
Officials say it appears to be an isolated incident and that there is no indication of any threat to the community.