A man was arrested on Sunday after a bizarre killing with a bow and arrow, an hourslong standoff and an early-morning fire that shut down a street in a New Jersey suburb.
The events began early Saturday evening when police officers in Kearny, N.J., just northeast of Newark, responded to a report of a wounded man near the intersection of Kearny and Johnston Avenues. The man “appeared to have been struck by a pointed object and died as a result of his injuries,” according to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, which later confirmed that he had been killed with a bow and arrow.
The victim’s name has not been released, but a family member reached by phone on Sunday identified him as Pablo Criollo of neighboring Harrison, N.J.
The police soon identified a person of interest in the killing, who proceeded to barricade himself in a two-story house on Kearny Avenue, the prosecutor’s office said. Residents were told to shelter in their homes, and a regional SWAT team arrived and negotiated with the man overnight. Around 5 a.m. Sunday, while negotiations continued, a fire broke out in the house, forcing neighbors to evacuate.
By Sunday afternoon, the fire had been extinguished, but a fire truck was still parked on the street, which was teeming with police officers. Michael Hyde, deputy chief of the Kearny Fire Department, declined to answer questions about the fire or the department’s response.
Around 1 p.m. Sunday, the man emerged from the house armed with knives, according to the prosecutor’s office. Wearing a red bandanna and a black jacket, he was taken into custody by officers and SWAT team members.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, is expected to be charged on Monday, the prosecutor’s office said.
The circumstances of the killing remained unclear on Sunday afternoon. A fund-raising page for Mr. Criollo’s family described him as an immigrant from Ecuador who came to the United States as a teenager, and said he was the main breadwinner for his partner, their 6-year-old daughter and an older stepdaughter.
The Rev. Valdir Reis, the pastor of Closer to God Church on Kearny Avenue, who also lives on the street, said on Sunday that an officer knocked on his door around 5:30 a.m. to tell him and his wife to leave their home.
Outside, squad cars and fire trucks lined their block, and neighbors were milling about. Pastor Reis said he got permission from the officers to bring about 40 people out of the cold into his church.
Forced to cancel his Sunday services, he offered the displaced residents coffee, cookies and homemade bread. A local restaurant eventually brought over pizzas while residents waited for word that it was safe to return to their homes.
“We understand God works in many different ways,” said the pastor, who is originally from Brazil and has been leading this congregation since 2015. “We didn’t have our congregation together, but we had our neighborhood together.”
Other residents surveyed the scene of the fire on Sunday afternoon with shock.
Beenish Qureshi owns a dollar store nearby in Harrison, and said she used to live a few doors down from the scene of the fire.
“I’m so upset,” said Ms. Qureshi, 45, who is originally from Pakistan. “I don’t know what’s going on. This is a very good town. But now I’m scared.”
Walter Spiess, 73, a retired steelworker and postal worker from Harrison, was surprised by the dramatic events close to his home.
“It’s a crazy world. A bow and arrow? Who knows how people think,” he said, adding: “At least they got him.”
Mark Bonamo contributed reporting from Kearny, N.J. Georgia Gee contributed research.
Benjamin Oreskes is a reporter covering New York State politics and government for The Times.
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