PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP/1010 WINS) -- A popular Piscataway police officer is shot and killed, and his son is charged with murder. Authorities say 19-year-old John Mahoney killed his father, 49-year-old Jerry Mahoney, Thursday morning at the family's home.
1010 WINS AUDIO: Steve Sandberg reports
Authorities believe the younger Mahoney killed his father, then shot himself in the arm to make the death appear to be the result of a home invasion robbery.
He was treated and released from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and was being held without bail. It was not known if he had retained a lawyer.
The weapon used in the shooting was the elder Mahoney's .38-caliber semiautomatic service weapon, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.
Jim Ryan, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, said Mahoney served on the police force for more than 20 years and founded the local chapter of D.A.R.E., the acronym for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, a program begun in Los Angeles in the 1980s.
"Officer Mahoney dedicated his adult life to improving the lives of the people around him,'' PBA president Anthony Wieners said. "Jerry's involvement in D.A.R.E. and community-based programs along with his involvement in the Piscataway Board of Education made him an example for all officers. Everyone will remember that Jerry made a difference and touched many lives.''
There is no word yet on a motive in the killing.
Photos from Steve Sandberg: John Mahoney (top), Slain Officer Jerry Mahoney (inset)
E-Mail Story
Print Story
