A New Jersey Institute of Technology student was fatally shot at his Newark fraternity house during a robbery early Monday morning, police say.
Shots were fired in a robbery attempt at about 3:30 a.m. at the Tau Kappa Epsilon house on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, police said.
The victim, 23-year-old Joseph Micalizzi, was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Micalizzi studied mechanical engineering and graduated from Freehold Township High School in 2011.
His best friend from high school, Tyler Gdovian, said that last time he talked to Micalizzi he mentioned not feeling safe at the frat house. Micalizzi told his friend he had been robbed twice that semester.
"No one wants to hear this news," Gdovian said.
NJIT said that it was "saddened" by the death and that the school is extending thoughts and prayers to Micalizzi's family and friends. The national organization that oversees the TKE chapter at NJIT likewise said it was saddened by the shooting.
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Streets surrounding the fraternity house were cordoned off Monday morning as police investigated.
Students said they woke up Monday to an email alert about the killing. One, junior Asad Ahmed, said he's now worried about his safety.
"I can't even walk around the block," he said. "That's how scary this is now."
It's the second fatal shooting in Newark involving a college student in the last month.
On April 10, Rutgers University - Newark student Shani Patel was shot and killed at his off-campus apartment. Marcus Feliz, 25, was arrested in the Toms River 21-year-old's death.
Authorities and the college are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Micalizzi's death.
Anyone with information should call the Essex County Prosecutor's Office at 1-877-TIPS-4-EC.
