HILLSBOROUGH TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Somerset County) — A Hillsborough man has been charged in connection with the 2025 killing of his parents after an investigation that began with a welfare check and ended with a police shooting, authorities announced.
Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said Patrick J. Lin, 37, of Hillsborough, was charged Friday with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder and two counts of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the deaths of David Lin and Jean Lin.
Police were called to a residence on Cornell Trail at about 4:12 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2025, to check on the occupants, McDonald said. Officers initially were unable to make contact and later entered the home at about 6:24 p.m.
While checking the second floor of the residence, officers encountered Patrick Lin armed with a weapon, McDonald said. Two Hillsborough police officers discharged their weapons, striking Lin. Officers then rendered lifesaving aid before he was transported to an area trauma center in critical condition.
Inside the home, police discovered two homicide victims — an adult man and woman — in separate bedrooms on the second floor. Both were pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerset.
Investigators from the Hillsborough Township Police Department, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit, the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office responded to conduct the investigation.
A postmortem examination determined that the victims, identified as David Lin, 69, and Jean Lin, 69, husband and wife, died from blunt force injuries to the head. Their deaths were ruled homicides, McDonald said.
Authorities said the investigation has determined the killings were an isolated incident and that there is no ongoing threat to the public. The investigation remains active.
In accordance with state law, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is conducting the investigation into the police-involved shooting, McDonald said.
Patrick Lin was charged while hospitalized and is currently listed in stable condition under guard by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors said he will be lodged in the Somerset County Jail upon release from the hospital and will appear in court as directed.
Officials urged anyone with information about the case to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, the Hillsborough Police Department at 908-369-4323, Somerset County Communications at 1-888-577-8477, or submit tips anonymously through the STOPit app.
