As authorities investigate a triple homicide inside a Piscataway home Monday evening, people close to the family said the tragedy came as a complete shock.
Police fatally shot a knife-wielding man, identified as Jordan Barnes, 29, at a River Road home on Monday night, officials said.
Inside, they found the bodies of Jeanmarie Barnes, 60; Brenda F. Barnes, 84; and Richard A. Barnes, 86 — later identified by the Piscataway mayor as Barnes’ mother and grandparents.
Jordan worked with his mother at TechniQuest Corporation, a Princeton-based engineering firm, the company confirmed this week.
Their employer described Jeanmarie, a senior accountant, as a nice, hardworking and responsible person.
“This was a very shocking news for us, of course, when she didn’t show up (Tuesday),” he said. “The entire company is in shock because everybody knows her.”
“It’s a big loss for us also. … She was an excellent person,” he added.
The company said Jordan also worked for the firm for about a year and a half after he graduated from Rutgers University. His employer said he was surprised to learn of the incident because he “didn’t see any problems” while Jordan worked there.
A person close to the family, who did not want to be identified because the family had not authorized him to speak, said the relatives were close and described Jordan as a “highly intelligent” mechanical engineer and a “really nice guy.”
Officers were dispatched to the home around 5:30 p.m. on Monday after Jordan’s father called 911 to report his son was armed with a knife, according to the mayor.
One officer tried to speak with Jordan through the closed front door as another officer saw people lying unresponsive inside on the floor, the state Attorney General’s Office said.
Police opened the door and ordered Jordan to put down the kitchen knife he was holding and get on the ground, but he did not comply.
Three officers used their tasers, but Jordan continued walking toward them, officials said.
Piscataway Police Officer John Ward then fired his service weapon, fatally striking Jordan. Jeanmarie, Brenda and Richard were found dead inside with multiple stab wounds.
Wahler said there had been no history of police being dispatched to the house for domestic violence.
State Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin called the attack an “unspeakable tragedy” in a Tuesday press conference about crime statistics.
The deaths of Brenda, Richard and Jeanmarie are under investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, which has not commented on the case.
