NJ councilman Russell Heller, a Republican, shot dead just a week after slaying of another NJ councilor, Eunice Dwumfour

The New Jersey municipal council member was shot dead in his car Wednesday

Heller, 51, from Milford, was found dead just after 7 a.m. in the Somerset parking lot of PSE&G, the local energy company where the worked

Killing comes exactly a week after the unsolved slaying of anther GOP politician, Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour

Cops quickly identified former PSE&G employee, Gary Curtis, 58, as the shooter

Curtis was found him dead in his car from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot, three and a half hours after the slaying

A New Jersey municipal council member was found dead, from a gun, in his car Wednesday, exactly a week after the unsolved slaying of Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour.
Russell Heller, 51, was found dead Wednesday just after 7.02 a.m. in the Somerset parking lot of PSE&G, the local energy company where the Milford Republican worked for 11 years.
Somerset County prosecutor John McDonald said Franklin Township Police responded to multiple reports of a shooting victim at the parking lot of PSE&G in Somerset, encountered the victim suffering from a gunshot wound.
The male victim identified as Russell D. Heller, 51, from Milford, New Jersey an employee at the facility was pronounced dead at the scene. Cops quickly identified a former employee, Gary T. Curtis, as the shooter.
Curtis, 58, of Washington, New Jersey, allegedly, approached Heller in the parking lot, shooting him outside of his vehicle. Three and half hours later, the suspect had killed himself, police said.
Detectives had tracked Curtis to a parking lot area in Bridgewater Township, By 10:20am. He was dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The councilman’s murder came exactly a week after Sayreville Councilwoman Dwumfour, also a Republican, was gunned down in her SUV outside her home about 15 miles away. Her murder remains unsolved.
Authorities have not linked the crimes, and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office insisted that Heller’s murder appeared to be “an isolated incident.”
Milford Mayor Henri Schepens told NJ.com that “the Milford Borough Council is deeply saddened by the loss and our hearts go out to his family.”
Heller “was so full of life, it’s just unbelievable that he’s gone,” the mayor said.

“Something like this has never happened in borough history. We are very shaken by this.”
Heller had been a councilman since 2020 in Milford, a borough in Hunterdon County, according to the Franklin Reporter & Advocate.
The director of the county board of commissioners, Zachary Rich, expressed the “collective shock and grief felt” over the “senseless shooting death.”

“Russell was a dedicated and valuable member of the Milford and Hunterdon County community whose leadership and commitment will be sorely missed,” Rich wrote.
“More importantly, however, Russell was a loving and caring father to his daughter and a dedicated and loyal friend to all of those who had the pleasure of knowing him,” he said of the “tragic loss.”
Heller, a senior distribution supervisor for the energy company, was pronounced dead on the scene of the Weston Canal Road headquarters. The company announced that it was “offering support” to employees after the “tragic and disturbing event.”

The energy company said it was “heartbroken at the tragic death” of Heller.
“Russell was an admired employee and a supervisor with over 11 years of service with PSE&G. He will be sorely missed by all and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time,” PSE&G said.