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CBS News
13-05-2025
- CBS News
Washington Township house fire, possible explosion tied to murder-suicide plot, prosecutors say
A deadly house fire and possible explosion that destroyed a Washington Township, New Jersey, home and left two people dead is being investigated as a murder-suicide, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office. Authorities responded to Tranquility Court in Washington Township for a fire that broke out just after 2 a.m. Sunday to find the home completely engulfed in flames. Once the fire was brought under control and extinguished, investigators found two bodies — a man and a woman — dead inside what was left of the home. Officials have not identified either of the victims. Prosecutors said the man, who is said to be the primary tenant of the home, was found in the living room with a handgun near him. The Gloucester County Medical Examiner ruled the man died by suicide, caused by the fire. The woman was found in bed and had suffered a gunshot to the head before the fire broke out, prosecutors said. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide. Investigators found an accelerant and that the home's gas line had been tampered with, allowing natural gas to flow into the home. The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, Washington Township police and Gloucester County Fire Marshal's Office are continuing to investigate the fire and the events that led up to it. Prosecutors urge anyone with information about the fire to contact Detective Allen Williams with the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office at 856-384-5622 or Detective Matthew Laudenslager with the Washington Township Police Department at 856-589-0330 ext. 1176.
Fox News
12-05-2025
- Fox News
2 dead after house burns down in New Jersey following 'gigantic explosion,' criminal investigation underway
A criminal investigation is underway in New Jersey following the deaths of a man and woman whose home burst into flames after neighbors reported hearing a "gigantic explosion." Officers responded to reports of a loud explosion and fire just after 2 a.m. Sunday in Sewell, New Jersey, according to Fox 29 Philadelphia. "We heard this gigantic explosion. It was so big, I felt like it rocked my whole house," resident Suzanne Pinto told the outlet, adding that she felt her whole house shake and rushed outside to find the neighboring home consumed in a massive fireball. The exact cause of the fire remains unclear. The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said the case is being handled as a criminal investigation and that an autopsy will be conducted on both victims to gather more information, the local station reported. There were no other reports of injuries. Neither the prosecutor's office nor the Washington Township Police Department immediately responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. Fox29 reported that the home was completely destroyed in the blaze, and nearby houses also sustained damage. Another resident, Jill Ralph, told the station she grabbed her husband and 92-year-old mother and drove away as fast as she could from the apparent explosion. "Looked out the bedroom window, and the house next door was just full of flames," Ralph said. "It's a shock. It's a shock. Who would have thought? You know, looking next door and there's a house that was there, and now it's gone. And the person in it is gone, too. And it's devastating." Pinto said while she tried to check on her nearby neighbors to see if they were okay, she could tell that the residents inside the burning home couldn't be saved, according to the outlet. "We knew the house was in such a condition, no one could be rescued from that fire," Pinto said. "Just very tragic, very tragic," Pinto added. "I see the guy every day. He has a dog. He walks up and down the street all day."
CBS News
12-05-2025
- CBS News
2 killed in house explosion and fire in Washington Township, New Jersey, prosecutor's office says
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said a criminal investigation is underway after two people were killed in an explosion and fire at a Washington Township home. Washington Township police said a loud explosion prompted multiple 911 calls just after 2 a.m. on Sunday near Tranquility Court and Orion Way. A home on Tranquility Court was fully on fire when officers arrived, and the flames had spread to part of a neighboring house. Washington Township fire crews worked for about half an hour to get the blaze under control, according to Gloucester County officials. The prosecutor's office confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia later Sunday morning that two people, a man and a woman, were killed in the explosion. While investigators don't believe the explosion and fire were accidental, the prosecutors' office said it appears this was an isolated incident and there's no ongoing threat to the general public. No one else was injured. A home was destroyed by a possible explosion and fire in Washington Township, New Jersey Washington Township Police Department "It just jolted you," said Jill Rauf, who lives in the neighborhood. "I've never experienced that before. It was a huge explosion. It was very scary." Rauf said half the siding on her own home melted off. "You never think anything like this could happen," she said. "You just don't expect it. And the house that was standing next door, now it's gone." Neighbors as far as two blocks away say they felt the force. A woman who lives across the street said something from the incident led to a hole in one of her front windows. "It's terrifying," she said. "You think people are just living their lives, and you don't ever really know what they're going through." Police, along with fire investigators, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey Fire Marshal's Office, are all actively working to determine what led to the explosion. This is a developing story. CBS News Philadelphia will provide more details as new information becomes available.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Massive explosion levels New Jersey home, rocks neighborhood
A massive explosion that leveled a New Jersey home early Sunday and reportedly killed two people was so powerful that neighbors said it sounded like a bomb going off. The blast occurred around 2 p.m. in the Gloucester County community of Washington Township, according to police. A statement on the explosion released by the Washington Township Police Department did not mention deaths or injuries caused by the blast. ABC News' Philadelphia station, WPVI, cited law enforcement sources confirming that the bodies of a man and a woman were recovered from the rubble of the house. The Washington Township Police Department referred all questions to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, which did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. The explosion occurred at 2:02 a.m. and prompted multiple 911 calls from neighbors reporting a loud explosion and fire in the area of Tranquility Court and Orion Way, according to a statement released by the Washington Township Police. MORE: Multiple injuries in Austin, Texas, house explosion "Responding officers arrived at 13 Tranquility Court and observed that the residence was fully engulfed in flames and appeared to have been heavily damaged by an apparent explosion," according to the police statement. Washington Fire Department firefighters arrived shortly after the police and extinguished the fire, according to the statement. The cause of the blast remains under investigation by the police department, Washington Township fire investigators, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey Fire Marshal's Office. "It was a real loud boom. I said, 'Something's wrong,'" Jimmy Gibson, who lives near the house that exploded, told WPVI. "The whole house was in flames... as soon as the explosion happened." MORE: Video Deadly house explosion rocks Michigan neighborhood Video taken by WPVI showed damage to at least one home near the destroyed house. The footage also showed a car that had apparently been damaged in the explosion. Neighbors who live blocks from he explosion reported being rattled awake. "It was huge, huge; sounded like a bomb went off," neighbor Suzanne Pinto told WPVI. Neighbor Jill Rauf told WPVI that she, her husband and dog evacuated their home upon hearing the explosion. "I've never seen anything like that before," said Rauf, adding that the house that blew up was engulfed in flames. Massive explosion levels New Jersey home, rocks neighborhood originally appeared on
CBS News
11-05-2025
- CBS News
Explosion and fire destroys home in Washington Township, New Jersey, police say
A home in Gloucester County, New Jersey was destroyed after an apparent explosion and fire early Sunday morning. Washington Township Police said the sound of a loud explosion prompted multiple 911 calls just after 2 a.m. on May 11 near Tranquility Court and Orion Way. A home on Tranquility Court was fully on fire when officers arrived and had partly spread to a neighboring house. Washington Township fire crews worked for about half an hour to get the blaze under control, according to Gloucester County officials. "It just jolted you," said Jill Rauth, who lives in the neighborhood. "I've never experienced that before. It was a huge explosion. it was very scary." Home destroyed by possible explosion and fire in Washington Township, New Jersey Washington Township Police Department Rauth said half the siding on her own home melted off. "You never think anything like this could happen. You just don't expect it. And the house that was standing next door, now it's gone." Officials have not confirmed if anyone was home at the time of the fire, or if there anyone was inured or killed. Police, along with fire investigators, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey Fire Marshal's Office, are all actively working to determine what led to the explosion. The police department said more information will eventually be released by the prosecutor's office. This is a developing story. CBS News Philadelphia will provide more details as new information becomes available.
