New Jersey fire: Four dead in shooting and 'suspicious' mansion blaze

It isn't immediately clear whether the fatalities are caused by a shooting or fire that ripped through a modern mansion

Police are investigating an apparent shooting and "suspicious" fire that ripped through a New Jersey mansion Tuesday afternoon.

One person was found dead with a gunshot wound outside of the mansion located in Colts Neck, New Jersey, as numerous other fatalities were reported inside of the building.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said the two adults and two children killed in the incident were victims of homicide, after previously confirming “multiple fatalities” had occurred in a tweet.

New Jersey firefighters were forced to speed tanker trucks of water to the blaze since there are no fire hydrants located on the streets of Colts Neck, a suburban township in Monmouth County.

Videos taken by helicopters above the fire shows the massive fire consuming the large, modern mansion as smoke billows into the sky.

There was no threat to the public as of 4:00pm local time, law enforcement officials said in a press conference.

However, sources told NBC New York a second fire had erupted at an Ocean Township home belonging to the brother of somebody who lived in the mansion located in Colts Neck. That home was safely evacuated, officials confirmed.

While investigating the incident, police reportedly found numerous gas cans placed behind the home.

Authorities have described both fires as “suspicious,” and remained on the scene near the mansion hours after it began around 1:30pm, writing in a tweet that firefighters were “still working on fire”.

Colts Neck is a well-to-do community about 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of New York City and is home to horse farms. Typical homes in the town of 10,000 are valued at about $750,000.

Public records show the home is owned by Keith Caneiro, 50, and Jennifer Caneiro, 45.

The 5,700-square-foot home has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, according to Zillow. The owners purchased the property in 1998, and the home was built in 2003, public records show.

Mr Caneiro’s LinkedIn profile describes him as the CEO and chief technology officer for a company in the New York City area called Square One. His profile says he graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Science degree in 2018 and previously received certifications from Harvard Business School.

Additional reporting by AP