Bayville is usually the kind of place where the biggest drama is a late garbage pickup or a loud boat on the water. It's a quiet slice of Berkeley Township, New Jersey. But on a Monday afternoon in March 2025, that quiet was shattered. Honestly, what happened on Drake Drive is the kind of thing that makes you look at your own neighbors a little differently. John Adamo, a 54-year-old resident, did the unthinkable. He opened fire on the couple living right next door before turning the gun on himself.
It wasn’t a random act of violence. Not even close.
The Slow Burn on Drake Drive
You've probably heard of neighbor disputes over a fence line or a barking dog. This was much deeper and, frankly, much weirder. For years, John Adamo and his neighbors, Tom and Jill Kwatkoski, were locked in a psychological cold war. We are talking about high-end security cameras pointed directly at each other's windows. We are talking about "No Trespassing" signs that actually had the Adamo name handwritten on them.
Imagine living like that. Every time you walk to your mailbox, you feel eyes on you. Every time you pull into your driveway, a lens is tracking your movement.
Reports from the Berkeley Township Police Department paint a picture of a man who was increasingly "combative." One neighbor even described him as a "nutjob" to the New York Post. There was talk of loud heavy metal music blasting from his garage at all hours. There were petty arguments about floodlights. It sounds exhausting.
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What Really Happened on March 10
Around 4:45 p.m., things reached a breaking point. John Adamo walked outside and shot Tom Kwatkoski while he was standing in his own yard. Then, Adamo fired into the house, hitting Jill Kwatkoski.
The details are chilling. Jill actually called 911 while bleeding from a leg wound, pleading for help and fearing her husband was already dead outside.
After the shooting, Adamo didn't run. He didn't try to hide. He just went back into his own house. What followed was a two-and-a-half-hour standoff with the Ocean County SWAT team. They surrounded his million-dollar home, trying to get him to come out. When they finally blew the front door off and went in, they found him in an upstairs bedroom. He was gone—dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Weird "Pressure Cooker" Detail
One thing that really freaked out the neighborhood during the standoff was the discovery of a pressure cooker in Adamo's room. Given the circumstances, the police weren't taking any chances. They evacuated the surrounding homes, fearing it might be an explosive device. The New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad had to come in and clear it. It turned out to be harmless, but it added a layer of terror to an already horrific evening.
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A History of "Parsley and Chives"
Why did this happen? It’s the question everyone in Bayville is asking.
Police records show a flurry of calls leading up to the tragedy. In one bizarre incident in 2024, Adamo’s wife, Elizabeth, called the police because Tom Kwatkoski was reportedly yelling "parsley and chives" at them. Why? Because John was a chef. It sounds almost silly when you read it on a police report, but in the context of a multi-year feud, these "micro-aggressions" were like gasoline on a fire.
Even Adamo’s own family seemed to be caught in the crossfire. A relative once reported that John threw their phone into the water behind the house just because they had been friendly with the neighbors.
The Aftermath and What We Can Learn
Tom and Jill Kwatkoski were airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. They survived, but the road to recovery for a family with five children is incredibly long. A GoFundMe was set up to help them, and it saw a massive outpouring of support from the local community. It shows that while one person can cause immense destruction, the rest of the neighborhood usually steps up to pick up the pieces.
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This case is a grim reminder of how "neighbor wars" can escalate when mental health issues, alcohol—which sources say Adamo struggled with—and easy access to firearms collide.
What you can do if you're in a neighbor dispute:
- Document everything: Don't engage. Keep a log of dates, times, and specific actions.
- Use a mediator: Before things get legal or physical, a neutral third party can sometimes de-escalate the tension.
- Check local ordinances: Sometimes a call to the township about noise or light pollution is more effective than a face-to-face confrontation.
- Involve the authorities early: If you feel threatened, don't wait. A paper trail of police reports can be vital for getting a restraining order if things turn south.
The story of John Adamo in Bayville, NJ, is a tragedy that didn't have to happen. It's a reminder to pay attention to the red flags in our own communities and to take threats of harassment seriously before they turn into headlines.