A 50-year-old Plumsted man accused of murdering his wife at their Evergreen Road, Plumsted, home has been charged with murder and is now lodged in the Ocean County Jail, Toms River.
Authorities said that Arthur Haskoor, 50, was released from Capital Health Regional Medical Center, Trenton, on Aug. 31 and transferred to the jail. Haskoor had been hospitalized since the day of the incident that claimed the life of his wife, Susanne, on Aug. 25.
At about 10 a.m. Aug. 25, administrators at New Egypt High School received information that a domestic dispute was occurring at a home at 120 Evergreen Road, across the street from the high school.
The administrators called the Plumsted Township Police Department, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Officers who responded to the home found Susanne Haskoor, 48, dead on the driveway. She appeared to have succumbed to stab wounds, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The prosecutor’s office said a note was found taped to the front door of the home. The note stated that an armed individual was inside and that the individual would kill anyone who entered the home.
The prosecutor’s office said an on-scene interview with a son of the suspect confirmed there were at least six weapons owned by the father in the home.
Plumsted police requested assistance from the Ocean County Northern Regional SWAT Team, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and the New Jersey State Police. Police officers from neighboring municipalities also responded to the scene.
A perimeter was established around the Haskoor home and for about five hours, law enforcement officers were on high alert around the residence.
Evergreen Road was closed between Route 537 and Snuff Mill Road. Patrons in the Plumsted Library, Evergreen Road, and several students who were in the high school were evacuated from the area by police.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a no-fly zone near the house at the request of the prosecutor’s office.
At 2:30 p.m., police deployed a robot equipped with a camera into the home. Police said Arthur Haskoor was found unconscious in the garage.
According to Capt. Jack Sramaty of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Operations Group, Haskoor sustained “serious, self-inflicted injuries” and was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, Trenton. He was initially listed in stable, but critical condition.
Sramaty said an investigation into the murder of Susanne Haskoor is ongoing, with assistance from the Plumsted Township Police Department, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigations Unit.
Plumsted Detective Brant Uricks and Detective John Murphy of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office are the lead investigators.
Authorities said Arthur Haskoor was charged with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose as a result of the death of his wife Susanne. His bail was set at $1 million with no 10 percent cash option.
According to an obituary, Susanne Haskoor (née DeCicco) was a long-time employee of Merrill Lynch who most recently worked as the managing director for the company’s Technology Investment, and Strategy and Design. She is survived by her two teenage sons, her mother, six siblings and 21 nieces and nephews.
Officials said that Arthur and Susanne Haskoor were married for 20 years. Their sons are 17 and 18 years old, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Following the incident, Plumsted Mayor Jack Trotta commended the efforts of local law enforcement agencies and personnel and cited their fast response to a dangerous situation.
“Our emergency responders practice for this type of emergency all the time, hoping they never have to put what they practiced into service,” he said. “Unfortunately, they had to do it live this time.”
The mayor said neither he nor his colleagues in town hall could remember another instance where a resident was murdered.
“This is something that can happen anywhere at anytime,” Trotta said. “You don’t know what is going on in people’s lives that may cause them to do something like this. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”