Teen accused of killing his cop father

  Eyewitness News

NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- Police say a 19-year-old in New Jersey shot and killed his father in their home, then shot himself in the arm to make it look like a home invasion.

The incident happened inside 555 Sidney Road just after 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, at the 49-year-old Jerry Mahoney's home. He was a veteran Piscataway police officer.

John Mahoney was charged with murder in the death of Jerry Mahoney, 49, at the family's home Thursday morning. Authorities believe the younger Mahoney killed his father, then shot himself in the arm to make the death appear to be the result of a home invasion robbery.

He was treated and released from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and was being held without bail. It was not known if he had retained a lawyer.

Jim Ryan, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, said Mahoney served on the police force for more than 20 years and founded the local chapter of D.A.R.E., the acronym for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, a program begun in Los Angeles in the 1980s.

"Officer Mahoney dedicated his adult life to improving the lives of the people around him," PBA president Anthony Wieners said. "Jerry's involvement in D.A.R.E. and community-based programs along with his involvement in the Piscataway Board of Education made him an example for all officers. Everyone will remember that Jerry made a difference and touched many lives."

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