Chilling 911 Call Exposes the Moment a Jersey Shore Feud Turned Deadly

A long-running feud between neighbors in a quiet Jersey Shore town ended in gunfire on March 10, 2025. Tom and Jill Kwatkoski were both shot by their next-door neighbor, John Adamo, who later took his own life. What started as neighborhood tension spiraled into a tragic and violent confrontation.

A Violent Ambush Shatters the Quiet

It all began around 4:45 p.m. in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, when Tom Kwatkoski, 58, was working on his house near the corner of Drake Drive and Amherst Drive. According to police reports, John Adamo approached Tom and shot him with what Jill later described as a rifle. After shooting Tom outside, Adamo allegedly then went inside the Kwatkoskis' home and shot Jill in the left leg.

Jill managed to call 911 despite her injuries. "Help, my neighbor, we got shot by our neighbor," Jill told the dispatcher, according to PEOPLE. "Please get the cops here, I'm bleeding to death. I can't leave my kids. If I do, please tell them that I love them."

Emergency responders airlifted Tom and Jill to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where Tom remained in critical but stable condition in the days following the attack. Jill's condition stabilized within two days of the incident.

Standoff Ends With a Grim Discovery

After shooting the Kwatkoskis, Adamo retreated into his home. The Ocean County Regional SWAT Team surrounded the property and tried for more than two hours to get him to surrender. When officers finally entered the home, they found Adamo dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in an upstairs bedroom, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

SWAT officers also discovered a pressure cooker in Adamo's bedroom. Fearing it might be an explosive, they evacuated neighboring homes. The New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad later determined the device posed no threat.

A Feud Years in the Making

Tension between the Kwatkoskis and Adamo had simmered for years. Police responded to disputes between the two households six times over the past year. The Kwatkoskis even installed security cameras aimed at Adamo's property and posted a clear "No Trespassing" sign.

"They've been in a longtime dispute. I don't know what brought it to that point. They have the cameras aimed at each other's houses, but in my book they were all nice," neighbor Joe Spicciatie told CBS New York, according to PEOPLE.

Despite the tension, neighbors described Adamo and the Kwatkoskis as generally pleasant, according to PEOPLE. "We're all friends in the neighborhood and, you know, we have parties together," said neighbor Louie Pascalli, as reported by CBS New York. He added that there was "always friction, but never anything serious like this."

Community Steps Up to Help

As the Kwatkoskis face a long recovery, their community has rallied to support them. Michael DeSantis, a childhood friend of Tom's, organized a fundraiser at his bar, 33's Tavern, to help cover medical expenses and daily costs. "Tom was a few years older but has always had my back for over 50 years," DeSantis wrote on Facebook, according to My Central Jersey. "Now I will have his back and help his family any way I can."

A GoFundMe campaign for the Kwatkoskis has raised more than $24,000 toward a $40,000 goal. The couple, parents to four boys, have faced adversity before. Their youngest son survived bone cancer in his left leg, and the family even started a childhood cancer charity in response.

"They are very caring, giving people and obviously what happened to them, nobody deserves it," DeSantis told My Central Jersey.

Unanswered Questions

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting. The longstanding tension between the Kwatkoskis and Adamo points to a conflict that escalated to a deadly conclusion, but exactly what happened between them remains unclear.

For now, the focus remains on Tom and Jill's recoveries and the community's effort to help them heal after this devastating attack.

References: Wife Says 'I'm Bleeding to Death' in Dramatic 911 Call After New Jersey Neighbor Allegedly Shoots Her and Husband | 'Blood everywhere': 911 call reveals moments after neighbor shoots husband and wife at NJ home | BERKELEY TOWNSHIP ATTEMPTED DOUBLE MURDER UNDER INVESTIGATION | Middlesex community rallies around couple shot by their neighbor | Jersey Shore maniac who shot neighbors was peeved over surveillance cameras after feuding for years: neighbors | Support the Kwatkoskis: A Family in Crisis