Wyckoff Man Faces Murder Charges After Grandfather Found Dead

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ — A 21-year-old Wyckoff man is charged with murder after barricading himself in an Elmwood Park home earlier this week, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said.

Jason Vicari is charged with murder, burglary and weapons possession after a Tuesday 911 call resulted in a SWAT standoff outside a home at 24 Beechwood Ave., and the death of 81-year-old Ronald Vicari, his grandfather, the prosecutor's office said.

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According to an NJ.com report, Jason Vicari told investigators that "God told [him] to do it," regarding the killing of his grandfather, and a police report obtained by the publication said that Ronald Vicari was found in the bathroom of his home with a head wound, lying next to the head of axe that was used to strike him.

Local police responded to the address around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday after receiving a 9-1-1 call of an "incident" at the residence. Responding officers were told there was an injured individual inside the residence and that another individual had barricaded himself inside the home, prosecutors said.

The Bergen County Regional SWAT Team was called, and after a short period of time, a male occupant of the residence surrendered to police and was taken into custody. Officers entered the home and discovered a deceased elderly male victim, identified as the elder Vicari, prosecutors said. An investigation determined that he was murdered during the commission of a burglary.