Long Branch Community In Shock After Quadruple Murder

LONG BRANCH, NJ - No. Not here. Not them. Not this family.

That was the shocked reaction of many in this city when they heard the news that a well-regarded family and a family friend had been allegedly gunned down by their 16-year-old autistic son in their Wall Street home late on New Year's Eve.

Long Branch police and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office were at the home within a minute of receiving a 911 call from inside the house. When they arrived, they found the bodies of Steven Kologi, 44; mother Linda Kologi, 42; sister Brittany Kologi, 18; and family friend Mary Schultz, 70, who also lived in the house.

Sources say Steven and Linda Kologi were loving, hardworking parents to their children, including Brittany, their daughter who died alongside them, and the boy who has been charged with killing them.

Steven Kologi Jr., one of the family members who survived the shooting, wrote in an Instagram post after the attack that he had “the greatest parents I could ask for.” The post, which has since been shared on Facebook, said “never once was I without a hot meal or a roof over my head,” according to the New York Post.

“They made sure Christmas came every year although they struggled financially. I cannot even describe the type of people they were so just believe me when I say how great they were," Kologi Jr. wrote.

Neighbors and friends echoed those sentiments, saying the couple was devoted to their children.

"My God, he'd do anything for his kids," friend and Long Branch resident Ronnie Pacheco told app.com. "He took on so many jobs, and I always picked him up and dropped him off at some jobs, some midnight to 9 in the morning job. He did everything and anything to support his family."

There's a heartbreaking picture of Steven and Linda on the GoFundMe page set up to pay for their funeral expenses.

They are grinning, standing next to a lighted Christmas tree, with framed family photos on the wall in the background. Steven has his arm protectively around Linda. There's another of 18-year-old Brittany, smiling from a balcony. She was a freshman at Stockton University in Galloway Township.

Evidence of just how much the Kologis were respected is reflected in the amount raised so far for their funerals. As of Tuesday morning, the $20,000 goal has already been surpassed. In less than a day, 491 people have contributed $23,308.

Several neighbors told news outlets that the 16-year-old was autistic and required special care. Police say they had never been called to the Kologi home for any previous incidents, Gramiccioni has said.

"This is a real isolated, first-time incident," he said. The boy's grandfather and his brother were not injured.

"I just can't understand why," Linda's longtime friend Veronica Mass of Union Beach told nj.com. "What happened? I just have no idea."

Mass told nj.com Linda had home-schooled the 16-year-old because he had emotional problems. "He improved dramatically after being home-schooled," Mass told the news website. "He learned to read, did his math. He got up to where he was supposed to be."

Mass described the youth as "outgoing, very friendly. He would tell jokes."

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 has 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.

Photo via gofundme.