Joseph Micalizzi, 23, of Freehold, New Jersey, was shot on May 2 at 3:22 a.m. at his fraternity’s house in Newark, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
“I don’t know of anyone who did not like him,” his father John Micalizzi told the Daily News. “He was a standup guy. He was always a leader of the group.”
Micalizzi was a New Jersey Institute of Technology student who was targeted during a burglary at the frat house, NJIT President Joel Bloom said.
The 23-year-old, in his second year at the school, was studying mechanical engineering after transferring from Brookdale Community College. He was a dean’s list student, the school said.
According to NJ.com, Bloom said: “This is a tragic time for the student’s family, friends and the entire NJIT campus and we extend our thoughts and prayers to all affected.”
Micalizzi was transported to University Hospital at 5:02 a.m. where he was pronounced dead.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide and Major Crimes Task Force will take over the investigation; which, for the moment, has run cold, with no suspects identified and no arrests made.
A spokesman for the Essex County Sheriff’s Office said it’s offering up to $10,000 on top of NJIT’s initial $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting.
The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex Couny Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 1(877)TIPS-4-EC or 1(877)847-7432.
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