Long Branch Teen Charged With Shooting 4 Family Members: Police

LONG BRANCH, NJ - A 16-year-old boy used a semi-automatic rifle to kill his parents, sister and a family friend late on New Year's Eve, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

The teenager was taken into custody without incident shortly after police arrived at the family home at 635 Wall Street in the city, he said.

"It was very quick," Gramiccioni said of the boy's apprehension. "It was uneventful."

Long Branch police and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office responded to the home after receiving a 911 call reporting shots fired. The call came from someone inside the home, Gramiccioni said during a press conference early this morning.

Police arrived on the scene a minute later, after receiving the call, Gramiccioni said.

They found the bodies of Steven Kologi, 44; mother Linda Kologi, 42; sister Brittany Kologi, 18; and family acquaintance, Mary Schultz, 70, of Oakhurst Parkway in Ocean Township.

The boy's grandfather and his brother were not injured.

Police had not been called to the home for any previous incidents, Gramiccioni said.

"This is a real isolated, first-time incident," he said.

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and Long Branch Police Department continues, but it appears the boy used a Century Arms semi-automatic rifle to kill his victims.The gun was legally owned and was registered to a family member, Gramiccioni said.

The boy has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, he said.

He is lodged in the Middlesex County youth detention center and is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday, either by video conference or in person, said Christoper Swendeman, a spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call is asked to call Detective Andrea Tozzi, of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office at 800-533-7443, or Detective Michael Verdadiero of the Long Branch Police Department at 732-222-1000.

Photo: Linda and Steven Kologi, GoFundMe