PISCATAWAY, NJ – The Piscataway Township Police Department is expressing deep gratitude to residents and community partners for their overwhelming support in the wake of Monday’s tragic incident that left four people dead, including the armed suspect shot by officers.
In a message shared on social media Thursday, the department said it had been “inundated with phone calls, messages, and visits” from residents offering words of encouragement and compassion to officers following the violent episode. “These gestures did not go unnoticed,” the statement read, noting that the show of solidarity has been a source of strength for officers and staff during an “extremely difficult and emotional time.”
The fatal incident began when officers responded to a Piscataway home and discovered three deceased individuals, two of whom are believed to have been the suspect’s grandparents. Authorities said the man then charged at officers with a machete; attempts to subdue him with Tasers failed, and he was fatally shot. No officers were injured.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office are leading the investigation, which remains ongoing. Officials have stressed that the event was an isolated domestic matter and that there is no continuing threat to the public.
Despite the tragedy, police say the compassion from residents has been deeply felt across the department. “Thank you for standing with your police department,” the statement concluded. “Your kindness reminds us why we serve.”
Piscataway police say community messages, visits, and gestures of support have helped sustain the department following Monday’s deadly machete attack.