LONG BRANCH, N.J. — A 16-year-old boy is in custody after four people, including his parents and sister, were shot to death in a Long Branch home on New Year’s Eve, authorities said Monday.
Officers responded to a 911 call about shots fired at the home about 15 minutes before midnight on Sunday, according to a news release from Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
The bodies of 42-year-old Linda Kologi, 44-year-old Steven Kologi, 18-year-old Brittany Kologi and Mary Schultz, a 70-year-old friend who lived with the family, were found inside.
Authorities said the teen — who they did not immediately name — was taken into custody without incident. It’s unclear whether anyone else was in the house at the time of the shooting.
Investigators believe a “Century Arms semiautomatic rifle” was used in the deadly shooting, according to the news release.
The circumstances surrounding the killings — including the motive — were unclear.