Sayreville councilwoman shot to death in car outside her home

UPDATE: Sayreville councilwoman’s neighbors heard 6 shots, saw SUV roll into parked cars

A 30-year-old Sayreville councilwoman was found shot and killed in a car outside her home on Wednesday, officials said.

While the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t identify her, borough officials said the victim is councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour.

• MORE COVERAGE: Eunice Dwumfour, Sayreville councilwoman killed outside her home, had just won 1st elected office
• Murphy ‘stunned’ by shooting death of Sayreville councilwoman

“Eunice was a dedicated member of our borough council who was truly committed to serve our residents,” Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said in a statement. “The fact she was taken from us by this despicable criminal act makes this incident all the more horrifying.

“Beyond her dedication to the community, I can share that she was a woman of deep faith and worked hard to integrate her strong Christian beliefs into her daily life as a person and community leader. On a personal note, I can’t adequately express my feelings of sorrow at the loss of a friend.”

She was found shot multiple times in the vehicle in the area of Samuel Circle at about 7:20 p.m and pronounced dead at the scene, the prosecutor’s office said.

Dwumfour’s SUV crashed near Samuel Circle, close to the townhouse where she resided. Her unit had a garage door that opened to Samuel Circle and front entrance on Point of Woods Drive.

Dwumfour, a Republican, started her three-year term on the borough council in 2022 and also served on Sayreville’s human relations commission.

“She was an amazing friend, a woman who loved God,” another member of the commission Juan-Nelia Rodriguez, wrote on Facebook Wednesday night. “We were just at our HRC meeting on Jan. 5 and I just saw her this morning at the store. I remember saying to her, ‘I’ll see you at the HRC meeting tomorrow,’ not knowing tonight was going to be the end of her life. I can’t stop crying. She was 30 years young and full of life. You will be missed my dear, precious friend.”

She had a young daughter and recently announced she had gotten married, neighbors and local officials said.

Another member of the commission, Mahesh Chitnis, said he was “shocked, scared and heartbroken.”

“When she missed (an) HRC meeting she used to ask me to put her on speakerphone so that she could participate,” Chitnis said. “We will miss her.”

Gov. Phil Murphy also offered his condolences.

“I am stunned by the news of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour’s murder last evening in an act of gun violence,” Murphy said in a statement.

“Her career of public service was just beginning, and by all accounts she had already built a reputation as a committed member of the borough council who took her responsibility with the utmost diligence and seriousness,” Murphy said. “I send my condolences to Councilwoman Dwumfour’s family and friends, her governing body colleagues, and the entire Sayreville community.”

The State Police are assisting local authorities in the investigation, Murphy said.

The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Rebecca Morales of the Sayreville Police Department at 732-727-4444 or Detective Michelle Coppola of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3477.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.