Homicide investigation ongoing after Plumsted standoff ends

An investigation is ongoing after a woman was found stabbed to death in her driveway this morning, triggering a prolonged standoff, authorities said.

Police responded to 120 Evergreen Road around 10:00 a.m. on a report of a domestic dispute, said Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Al Della Fave in a release. 

Arriving officers discovered a deceased woman in the driveway, identified as Susan Haskoor, 48, who had succumbed to stab wounds, the spokesman said. 

The officers found a note on the front door warning them that “there are guns in the house and that the occupant would kill them,” Della Fave said.

The spokesman identified the suspect as her husband, Arthur Haskoor, 50.

A nearby school and library were quickly placed under lockdown, and area roads were closed, according to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department. On the request of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace above the residence.

On-scene officers later confirmed that Arthur Haskoor owned at least six weapons through interviews with the man’s son, according to Della Fave. 

The Ocean County Northern Regional SWAT Team, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Plumsted Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, and the New Jersey State Police responded to establish a perimeter to contain the barricaded occupant, Della Fave said.

Hours later, a camera-equipped robot entered the residence around 2:30 p.m. and found the suspect in the garage area unresponsive, the spokesman said, adding that the man was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

His injuries and condition were not immediately available.  

According to the spokesman, the couple had been married for 20 years with two male children, ages 17 and 18.

The investigation is ongoing, and criminal charges are pending, Della Fave said.