PARAMUS, N.J. – In a chilling turn of events on February 16th, the Paramus police were informed by 32-year-old Melvin Thomas that he had killed 61-year-old Manuel Thomas two days prior. The authorities, accompanied by the Emergency Services Unit, quickly arrived at the scene on Bruce Drive near Forest Avenue. Upon receiving no response, they forcibly entered the premises and made a shocking discovery in the basement. The body of Manuel Thomas was found with multiple stab wounds, as confirmed by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
The suspect, Melvin Thomas, who was single and unemployed, surrendered to the borough police and was subsequently handed over to the prosecutor’s Major Crimes Unit. He faces numerous charges, including murder, desecration of human remains, hindering, and weapons offenses. As he awaits his initial court appearance in Hackensack, he has been remanded to the Bergen County Jail.
The tragic circumstances do not end there, as Manuel Thomas’s wife of 36 years, Lissy, had passed away in March 2021. The couple leaves behind three children, two sons, and a daughter. The house, now a crime scene, was illuminated and cordoned off, with detectives escorting the daughter inside, while the Bergen County Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification collected evidence.
The prosecutor declined to divulge how the police were alerted to the homicide, and no details regarding the timeline of the event were provided. These crucial details will be established by the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s Office in the course of their investigation. The community remains in shock as they grapple with the aftermath of this devastating incident.