‘Long-running feud’ was behind neighbor’s shocking shooting of Jersey Shore couple
John Adamo may have snapped after the couple next door installed surveillance cameras and put out a ‘No Trespassing’ sign that called him out by name
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Your support makes all the difference.A New Jersey man who shot his next-door neighbors before turning the gun on himself had been warring with the couple for years, and local residents believe he may have finally snapped over newly installed security cameras along with a “No Trespassing” sign that identified him by name.
On Monday afternoon, John Adamo shot father-of-five Tom Kwatkoski while he was standing outside his modest Bayville home, then shot into the house, striking Kwatkoski’s wife, Jill, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Adamo subsequently retreated into his million-dollar spread and engaged with police in a 2.5-hour standoff that ended after a SWAT team blew open the front door and discovered the 54-year-old’s body in an upstairs bedroom. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
Tom and Jill Kwatkoski, ages 58 and 56, were airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Both are listed in critical but stable condition as of Wednesday.
SWAT officers found a pressure cooker inside Adamo’s room, and evacuated nearby homes for fear it might detonate, but the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad ultimately determined the device was not rigged to explode.
In a text message on Wednesday, Adamo’s brother Joe said, “We have no comment. We are asking for privacy and condolences to everyone involved.”
Nick Gonzalez, a landscaper who lives and works in the area, told The Independent that a client who knows the Kwatkowskis said there had been longstanding “bad blood” between them and Adamo.
A resident who lives up the street from the Kwatkowski family, Nico Rispoli, said he spoke to two of their sons yesterday, and that Tom, who was shot in the back, and Jill, who was shot in the leg, had both undergone surgery. Rispoli told The Independent that Adamo was known for being “very obnoxious,” and frequently sat in his garage blasting heavy metal at extremely high volumes.
“There were definitely arguments that led up to this,” he said.
Adamo was a “combative alcoholic” who ripped down a surveillance camera mounted on the Kwatkoskis’ home before squeezing off the first round, according to the New York Post, citing a neighbor who asked not to be named.
The resident said the dispute had been simmering for years, and that it involved multiple cameras pointed at Adamo’s home, as well as a sign out front, reading, “PRIVATE PROPERTY, NO TRESPASSING,” with the words, “Mr. and Ms. Adamo!!!!” handwritten underneath.
“It’s been a running feud,” another neighbor told the Post. “And John’s a nut. There was always friction… This has been going on for years.”
Adamo, too, had cameras pointed at the Kwatkoskis’ house, PIX11 reported.
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Gonzalez said an event like this is “unheard of” in the area, where “everyone seems to get along.” And while New Jersey is a blue state, he told The Independent that “Ocean County is very conservative, and I do know that a lot of homeowners have firearms.”
Adamo, a Brooklyn native who used to work on Wall Street but was reportedly doing construction work in recent times, was estranged from his family due to his drinking and friction involving his late father’s estate, according to a source who spoke to the Post.
“I’m not surprised that he killed himself,” the source said, “but I’m more surprised that he followed through with doing something like this to somebody else.”
The Kwatkoskis, on the other hand, are beloved by those who know them, according to a GoFundMe campaign Rispoli set up Tuesday night.
“This couple has been an integral part of our community, known for their warmth, kindness, and active involvement,” Rispoli wrote. “They are loving parents to four sons, who now face the immense challenge of supporting their parents through recovery while managing their own lives. In light of this unforeseen tragedy, the family now faces significant medical challenges and unforeseen expenses.?”