Retired Newark Police Officer Dies In NJ Home Explosion

NEWARK, NJ — A man who died in a home explosion in Central Jersey on Thursday night was a retired Newark police officer, the department confirmed.

Kevin Gilbert, 62, died and another person was seriously injured after a home exploded on Continental Court in South River, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and South River Police Chief Mark Tinitigan said.

Gilbert, a 26-year veteran of the Newark Police Division, was found with fatal injuries and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

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Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the explosion.

A spokesperson for the Newark Department of Public Safety said the police division employed Gilbert from September 1990 to April 2016.

During his tenure, he served in various units ranging from the 4th Precinct Detective Bureau to the robbery unit and the Safe City Task Force.

"On behalf of the entire Newark Department of Public Safety, Director Fritz Fragé offers prayers of peace and comfort to the loved ones of retired Newark Police Officer Kevin Gilbert. May he forever Rest in Peace," a written statement from the division read.