Neighbors evacuated after fatal home explosion in New Jersey

SOUTH RIVER, N.J. (PIX11) — A fatal explosion late Thursday evening left a wake of debris at what was once a tidy suburban lot.

South River resident Richard Livingston stood on what used to be a stately single-family home at the end of a cul-de-sac on Continental Court. “That looks like a bombing,” said Livingston. “It just looks unbelievable.”

The home’s owner, identified by Newark officials as 62-year-old retired Newark Police Detective Kevin Gilbert , was killed in the blast.

Cathy, a neighbor just a few doors down the block, described her initial reaction when the explosion occurred. “At first we thought it was another earthquake. We thought something actually hit the house. We all came outside and the neighbors were outside. It was instantaneous. I know the family. It’s just horrible, what happened.”

A Newark city spokesperson shared the following statement with PIX11 News, “…the entire Newark Department of Public Safety…offers prayers of peace and comfort to the loved ones of retired Newark Police Officer Kevin Gilbert. May he forever Rest in Peace.”

Investigators with the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office confirmed a second male relative was also inside the house at the time. He’s recovering from serious burns and other injuries at an area hospital.

Several neighboring homes were temporarily vacated while investigators, engineers, and utility crews assessed their structural integrity and to determine whether a natural gas leak played any role in the explosion.

“It’s possible, yes,” said South River Mayor Peter Guindi.

He says the now-destroyed home’s basement is the current area of focus. “We know that the source came from behind the house – the back of the house in a far corner, I believe, downstairs in the basement – would be considered your boiler, your furnace.”

Mayor Guindi says as far as he knows, no utility work was being done in the area. With the adjacent homes not being deemed safe, neighbors have gathered suitcases and left. It is unclear what happens next for all three neighboring homes.

For the time being, the exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

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