A preliminary investigation indicates that the man who was pronounced dead outside his Hixon Place home in South Orange on Thursday was an apparent suicide as a result of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll reported the results of the preliminary investigation but noted that authorities were still awaiting a final determination from the medical examiner.
Kyle confirmed that the 70-year-old man was Thomas Schilling, a retired South Orange firefighter. Schilling’s next of kin, his twin brother, has been notified.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (ECPO) and the South Orange Police investigated the death.
The South Orange Police received a 911 call from a passerby on Thursday afternoon, and police discovered Schilling at approximately 2:50 p.m.
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UPDATE: Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death on Hixon Pl. in South Orange