Police fatally shoot knife-wielding man at N.J. home, discover 3 dead bodies inside, officials say
A knife-wielding man was fatally shot by police Monday evening at a Piscataway house, and three dead bodies were then discovered inside the home, investigators said.
Officers from the Piscataway Police Department responded to the River Road house around 5:30 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from a man reporting that a person inside had a knife, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.
Officers shot and killed a man armed with a knife who they encountered at the home, the office said.
After the shooting, the officers discovered three other people dead in the house, authorities said.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating their deaths.
None of the deceased people were identified Monday night.
The Piscataway Township Police Department initially described the incident as a homicide, and said it “appears to be an isolated incident.”
“There is no indication of an ongoing threat to the community. At this time, there is no danger to the general public,” the police department added. “Additional information will be shared when appropriate and the investigation allows. We thank for the community for its cooperation.”
In a social media post on X, New Jersey State PBA President Peter Andreyev called the incident a “horrific crime” and said, “All our members that were involved are being evaluated.”
Multiple township police officers, detective’s cars and an ambulance were at the scene outside the house on the 800 block of River Road, which was surrounded with caution tape at 9 p.m on Monday.
River Road, which is not far from the Livingston campus of Rutgers University, was blocked off from Mitchell Avenue to Hanson Avenue and traffic was being detoured.
Police and investigators at the scene of a reported shooting on River Road, in Piscataway, NJ on Monday, January 05, 2026Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media
News 12 New Jersey reported that a neighbor heard several gunshots fired at about 6 p.m. Monday, after police arrived on the street.
News 12 also said several police officers were taken to an area hospital for evaluation, but they are all expected to be fine.
NJ Advance Media staff writers Nicolas Fernandes and Lauren Musni contributed to this report.
