The Office of Public Integrity and Accountability is investigating a fatal police-involved shooting that took place on January 5, 2026, in Piscataway Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Preliminary information indicates that officers from the Piscataway Police Department responded to a call at a residence on River Road around 5:30 p.m. The call was made by a man who reported another individual at the location had a knife. When officers arrived, they encountered an armed man and subsequently shot and killed him.
After the incident, officers found three additional deceased individuals inside the home. The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is conducting an investigation into their deaths.
Authorities have not released the identities of any civilians or officers involved in the incident at this time.
A law enacted in 2019—N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2)—requires that the Attorney General’s Office investigate any death occurring during an encounter with law enforcement or while an individual is in custody. This statute also mandates that all such cases be presented to a grand jury to determine if charges should be brought against any officer involved. “It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.”
The investigation remains ongoing, and no further details are available currently.
The New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin serves as a statewide agency responsible for enforcing laws and overseeing public safety throughout New Jersey. Its responsibilities include providing legal support, regulating law enforcement activities across counties and municipalities, consumer protection initiatives, crime lab services, victim advocacy, and prosecution of offenses under its statutory mandate.
