South Plainfield Man Shot His Grandparents, Uncle, Then Called 911: PD

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — A 23-year-old man is accused of fatally shooting both of his grandparents and his uncle Monday morning in South Plainfield, authorities said. He shot them with a gun he told detectives he purchased online, according to an affidavit released by the Middlesex County Prosecutor.

Police say Om Brahmbhatt, 23, shot his grandfather, Dilipkumar Brahmbhatt, and his grandmother, Bindu Brahmbhatt, both 72, while they were asleep in their bed.

He then shot his uncle, Yashkumar Brahmbhatt, 38, in a bedroom down the hall, said police. His uncle was the Brahmbhatt's son.

Police say Brahmbhatt himself then called 911 to report the shooting.

Brahmbhatt lived with his grandparents in the condo on the 300 block of Coppola Drive, in the Traditions condo community. It is unclear if the uncle also lived with them, or if he was just visiting.

It was shortly before 9 a.m. Monday when South Plainfield Police got the 911 call. Inside the condo, they found the elderly couple in their bed; both had been shot in the head and were pronounced dead at the scene.

In a rear bedroom, they found the uncle. He had also been shot multiple times, in the torso area, but he was "possibly" still breathing, said police. He was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, but he died there a short time later.

Brahmbhatt made the 911 call, and he was waiting inside the home when officers arrived. He told officers he was in the home at the time of the shooting and he said "It might be me," according to the affidavit.

At that time, South Plainfield Police advised Brahmbhatt of his Miranda rights, and he said he did not wish to say anything more, according to the affidavit. Police searched Brahmbhatt and found a firearm holster on his body. They also searched the condo and said they found the gun suspected in the shooting.

Brahmbhatt was taken to South Plainfield Police headquarters, where he said he then wanted to tell officers what happened, "as long as the (police) were truthful and would take him to court," he said, according to the affidavit. He waived his Miranda Rights and told police he shot both his grandparents in the head while they were sleeping. He then went down the hall and shot his uncle, said police.

Brahmbhatt is currently being held at the Middlesex County Jail. He was charged with three counts of murder in the first degree, and three counts of illegal gun charges.

Original Patch report on this incident: 3 Family Members Shot Dead Inside Their South Plainfield Home ID'D