1 dead, 1 injured in New Jersey house explosion: officials

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the official number of deaths.

SOUTH RIVER, N.J. (PIX11) — One person was killed and another was hospitalized after a house exploded Thursday evening in New Jersey, according to officials.

The home on Continental Court in South River exploded without warning around 7 p.m., according to officials.

Kevin Gilbert, a 62-year-old retired Newark police officer, was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. His son was taken to the hospital with injuries.

A neighbor at the scene described what happened.

“We were watching TV, and we heard a massive explosion and ran outside to see it was our neighbor’s house and their family,” the neighbor told PIX11 News. “The house was flattened, and my husband ran down and tried yelling to see if anyone responded. It was like a big sonic boom. It was something I had never heard before. Everything shook. My sister was screaming, and everyone was just scared.”

Officials believe it was a gas explosion, but the state fire marshal will make the official determination. South River Mayor Peter Guindi told PIX11 News that crews turned off a gas leak.

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here .

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