Sayreville Councilwoman Shot, Killed Inside Car Wednesday

SAYREVILLE, NJ - A Sayreville councilwoman was fatally shot inside her car near her home Wednesday night.

The woman was identified as Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, 30, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Sayreville Police Chief Daniel Plumacker. They said her death is being investigated as a homicide.

At 7:22 p.m. Wednesday, authorities received a 911 call reporting shots fired in the area of Samuel Circle in the Parlin section of Sayreville. When police got to the scene, they found a woman, later identified as Dwumfour, inside her Nissan SUV. She had been shot multiple times.

She succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene, said police.

Gov. Phil Murphy released a statement Thursday morning saying he was "stunned by her murder."

“I am stunned by the news of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour’s murder last evening in an act of gun violence," said the governor. "Her career of public service was just beginning, and by all accounts she had already built a reputation as a committed member of the borough council who took her responsibility with the utmost diligence and seriousness."

The Republican councilwoman, elected in 2021, was also a part-time EMT and business analyst. Her term was not up until 2024. She also used to be a member of the Sayreville Human Relations Commission.

Dwumfour was shot inside her car, and then her SUV then crashed into her home near the Camelot at La Mer apartment complex, according to the New York Post.

Authorities believe she was the intended target of the shooting, ABC6 reported.

The New Jersey Republican Party also released a statement on her death, calling it an act of "senseless violence."

“On behalf of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, I would like to express our horror and deepest sorrow at the senseless violence that claimed the life of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour," said NJ GOP chairman Bob Hugin. "We will remember Eunice for her steadfast dedication to the community, as well as her deep and abiding Christian faith. We have the utmost confidence that law enforcement will bring the perpetrators of this heartbreaking tragedy to justice. God Bless Councilwoman Dwumfour and her family.”

Dwumfour graduated from William Paterson University with a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies in 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also served as a professional scrum master at Parlin-based nonprofit Fire Congress Fellowship and was the director of churches for a Nigeria-based megachurch.

Her neighbor in the Camelot at La Mer apartment complex, Mahesh Chitnis — and who also served on the Sayreville Human Relations Commission with her — posted on Facebook that Dwumfour was killed "while returning back home" Wednesday night.

"I am shocked, scared and heartbroken," he wrote. "Eunice Dwumfour, fellow Human Relations Commissioner (former), Sayreville councilwoman and a neighbor was killed 300 feet from my home this evening. She was shot while returning back home. She was a woman full of life. When she missed HRC meeting she used to ask me to put her on speaker phone so that she could participate. I was looking forward to meeting her tomorrow in our monthly meeting. We will miss her..."

Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick told NJ 101.5 the shooting was a "despicable criminal act."

"She was a woman of deep faith and worked hard to integrate her strong Christian beliefs into her daily life as a person and a community leader," Kilpatrick told 101.5. "On a personal note I can't adequately express my feeling of sorrow at the loss of a friend."

No arrests have been announced as of Thursday morning. Both Gov. Murphy and the Middlesex County Prosecutor are urging the public to contact police with any information they may know.

Anyone with information — and especially surveillance video from the area — is urged to contact Detective Rebecca Morales of the Sayreville Police Department at (732) 727-4444 or Detective Michelle Coppola of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office (732) 745-3477.

"Sayreville is a proud, tight-knit and safe community and I know that it will come together, as it always has, in common purpose," said Gov. Murphy. "The New Jersey State Police are supporting the ongoing investigation, and I urge anyone with information to contact either the Sayreville Police or the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.”