Crime & Safety

Prosecutor: Man Suspected of Shooting Dad in Head

Morris Plains Police help with overnight investigation

A 25-year-old man suspected of killing his father in Randolph was found hiding among bushes along Old Dover Road by a Parsippany Police officer early Friday morning, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Brendon Matos, of Randolph, is expected to be charged in the shooting death of his father, Nelson Matos, 56, also of Randolph, Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi said at a news conference at the county courthouse Friday morning. 

Bianchi said a joint team, including the prosecutor's office, the Randolph, Parsippany and Morris Plains police departments, the New Jersey State Police and other agencies are investigating the incident.

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Human Services Police at the Greystone Psychiatric Hospital in Parsippany found what appeared to be an abandoned car in the brush surrounding the facility Thursday night at about 8:35 p.m., Bianchi said. 

"The car was parked in a place that would be inappropriate for cars," Bianchi said.

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After checking the car's license plates, Randolph Township police went to the Clover Lane home of its registered owner, Nelson Matos, 56.

Upon their arrival, officers noticed a bullet hole through a kitchen window. Looking into a sliding glass door, they saw a man lying lifeless on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head, Bianchi said.

The dead man was identified as Matos.

Randolph Police, along with the Morris County Sheriff's Office and the Parsippany and Morris Plains police departments, began to search for a suspect.

"We worked conducting an exhaustive search all night," Bianchi said.

Parsippany Police Officer Gerritt Tosh saw what was described as a white man hiding among bushes along Old Dover Road near the Greystone facility's grounds Friday morning shortly before 7 a.m., Bianchi said.

The man was apprehended without incident and identified as Brendon Matos, the victim's son who lived with his father at 2 Clover Lane in Randolph, Bianchi said.

"He was awake, alert and disheveled, as if he had been scraped and scratched in the woods," Bianchi said.

Bianchi would not comment on whether the suspect had any connection to Greystone. He added that a potential motive for the shooting was still under investigation and declined to comment further.

Bianchi also declined to comment about the suspect's possible prior offenses or whether there were signs of a struggle at the scene of the shooting.

The prosecutor did say that law enforcement officials are looking for a rifle and handgun that may have been involved in the incident.

The shooting is now the focus of a joint investigation involving the Morris County Sheriff's and Prosecutor's offices; the Randolph Township, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Chester Township, Morris Plains and Morris Township police departments; New Jersey Human Services Police; Morris County Park Police; New Jersey State Police and U.S. Marshals.

Bianchi said more information will be released once the probe is completed.

Law enforcement seeks information regarding the whereabouts and activities of Brendon Matos over the last two days.

Anyone with information should contact the Morris County Prosecutor's Office at 973-285-2900, the Randolph Township Police Department at 973-989-7010 or the Morris County Sheriff's Crimestoppers at 973-COP-CALL (267-2255).


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