Police: Three Adults Dead, Three Children Found Unharmed on Fairwood Drive
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ (March 10, 2026)(CNBNews) — Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that at approximately 5:00 a.m. Tuesday, Berkeley Township police officers responded to a residence on Fairwood Drive after receiving reports of shots fired.
Upon arrival, officers observed a male entering the home and heard additional gunfire coming from inside. The Ocean County Regional SWAT Team made entry a short time later. Inside the residence, officers located Allan Russell, 61, and Michelle Russell, 60, both deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. Three minor children were also found inside the home unharmed.
As officers continued clearing the residence, they discovered a male with an apparent self‑inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was identified as Vaughn Stewart, 37, of Maplewood. Stewart was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was later pronounced dead.
While expanding the perimeter of the investigation, officers located multiple shell casings outside the residence. Approximately 50 yards away, along the side of Fairwood Drive, they found a third victim: Deonna Stewart, 38, of Berkeley Township.
According to investigators, Vaughn Stewart entered the residence and fatally shot Mr. and Mrs. Russell, then chased Deonna Stewart down the street and shot her multiple times. He then returned to the residence and took his own life. The three children are now in the care of the Department of Child Protection and Permanency.
Prosecutor Billhimer commended the coordinated efforts of all responding agencies, including the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Berkeley Township Police Department, Ocean County Regional SWAT Team, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
A joint investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Berkeley Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined that Deonna Stewart lived at the Fairwood Drive home with her parents and three children. She and Vaughn Stewart, the father of the children, had been living separately.