NJ Teacher Killed, Stuffed In Trash Chute By Ex-Con Son, Police Say

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A retired Bergen County teacher was killed Saturday in Miami Beach, Fla., and her son has been charged with murder, according to officials.

Police in Miami Beach headed to the home of Anthony Caruso on Saturday, according to a police complaint, after his mother, Elizabeth "Betty" Caruso, had traveled from New Jersey to Florida mid-day to check on him.

Because Betty Caruso's son-in-law hadn't heard from her in more than six hours, he had called police for a wellness check, according to the complaint.

When police headed to the younger Caruso's upstairs apartment at 800 Washington Ave., they found blood on the front door and in a hallway leading to a trash chute on the same floor, says the complaint. They headed to the bottom of the trash chute on the first floor and found Caruso's body in a dumpster, the complaint says.

Betty Caruso had fractures to her arms, hands, face, and head, and was injured "nearly to the point of decapitation," the complaint says.

Police called for a SWAT Team, but could not get Anthony Caruso to leave his apartment, they said. They used a Taser and K9 units to apprehend. him, they said.

Caruso, 40, was charged with second-degree murder, police said.

He was on probation from jail and had been charged in the past for crimes including battery on a law enforcement officer, said CBS Miami.

The police complaint says he was unemployed.

'Legacy Of Respect'

Caruso was a retired special education teacher of young students in the New Milford School District, according to her LinkedIn account.

Superintendent of Schools Peter Galasso said on Tuesday that many people were in shock and grieving.

"Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Caruso dedicated 25 years to the New Milford Public School District, serving as a preschool special education teacher,” he said in a statement.

“She retired in 2022, leaving behind a legacy of respect from colleagues and adoration from the countless students and families she served. Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family.”