One week after Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour of Sayreville, N.J. was fatally shot outside of her home, another Republican council member in New Jersey has been gunned down. On Wednesday morning, the body of Russell Heller, 51, was found in the parking lot of Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) in Somerset, N.J. Heller was an employee of the company. The New York Post reports that Heller had served as a councilman for Milford, N.J., a borough in Hunterdon County, since 2020.
The suspect in the case is 58-year-old Gary Curtis, a former employee of PSE&G. Curtis was located in his car three hours after the murder, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe this to be an isolated incident and not related to Dwumfour’s murder. There is no known motive for Curtis’ actions, but authorities said that Heller was the intended target. Fox News said that PSE&G has not commented on whether or not Heller and Curtis had a working relationship.
Milford Mayor Henri Schepens told NJ.com, “The Milford Borough Council is deeply saddened by the loss and our hearts go out to his family. He was so full of life, it’s just unbelievable that he’s gone. Something like this has never happened in borough history. We are very shaken by this.” Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) posted on social media, “I am shocked and saddened by the tragic murder of Milford Councilman Russell Heller. Russell was an outstanding public servant who proudly represented the river town he loved. My prayers are with his family and the Milford community.”
Authorities have yet to identify a suspect or a motive in the Dwumfour case.
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