Kathleen Tevlin Nulty is asking everyone in Verona to take a good look at two surveillance camera photos released on Saturday by Essex County Acting Prosecutor Carolyn Murray. (MyVeronaNJ.com added the red arrow to help you focus.) The photos show two males running in the area of the homicide, which took place at Walker Road and Northfield Avenue in West Orange. The prosecutor’s office says the individuals may or may not be witnesses to what happened and they ask that anyone who can identify them call the Essex County Prosecutor’s Hotline at (877) 847-7432. All calls will be kept confidential. 
“He was a great kid,” Nulty said of her nephew today. “He was out playing video games and texted his mom to say he was on his way home.” He never made it there: Tevlin, a 2013 graduate of Seton Hall Prep who had just finished his first year at the University of Richmond, was discovered in his family’s Jeep Liberty near midnight with multiple gunshot wounds.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force and the West Orange Police continue to press their investigation into the case. Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura announced yesterday that the reward for information about the murder has been increased to $25,000 from $10,000 thanks to an anonymous donation. Nulty said today that the reward has risen to $30,000. The reward funds are being handled through the county’s Crimestoppers program, and anyone can contribute to it: A higher reward may help authorities flush out the person or persons responsible for the murder. You can call Det. Kevin Lynch at 973-621-4105 on Monday to make a donation.
Brendan Tevlin’s family and friends have set up a Facebook page, “Good Vibes & Easy Living”, to share their memories. It includes the eulogy by his younger sister Michaela Tevlin, which reads in part:
Brendan is kind, Brendan is loving, Brendan is smart, Brendan is positive, Brendan is gracious, Brendan is powerful, Brendan is meaningful, Brendan is athletic, Brendan is good-looking, Brendan is funny, Brendan is happy, and the list goes on. As someone described, “Brendan is everything that is right in this world.”
Brendan was the epitome of the perfect brother. My friends always make fun of me because they say whenever I introduce myself to people I emphasize my last name, just for the attention it will gain me because of my brothers. I won’t deny that, because I do. But, what they don’t know is that the reason I emphasize my last name so much is because I know when people hear the name Tevlin not a single negative thought enters their mind. This is no thanks to me but, all thanks to Brendan.
We are back in Maine, now, after attending the remarkable wake and funeral for Brendan, the beloved member of the warm and outgoing Tevlin clan. Our hearts are heavy and we are thinking of and praying constantly for our dear friends, Brendans parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sister, and his cousins and friends.Being so far away, we feel helpless to comfort and sustain our treasured friends in this unimaginable tragedy. We pray that investigators are able to solve this. Brendan’s funeral was fitting of an Irish Prince … which he was.
This is one incident that I can’t understand for anything. I never knew Brendan or his family, and my heart and prayers go out to them. I haven’t been affected by someone’s death this much in a long, long time.
I live in Nutley, and my husband and I have taken rides on Northfield Road and the surrounding area for years. We have taken our kids to South Mountain Arena and the zoo, and knew someone who lived on Walker Road awhile ago. My husband worked in West Orange for a time also, going down that road and also not far from St. Barnabas Hospital.
We have passed the area where Brendan was killed a couple of times in the past week or so. And for the life of me, I can’t understand how on earth this happened, and how the poor child wound up in a parking lot nearly a mile away. It’s completely nuts and it makes no sense.
My personal opinion? I believe that this was indeed, a targeted killing. Except I don’t think Brendan was the target. I think he was mistaken for someone else. And the perpetrators are hiding like the cowards they are – knowing they killed someone who was completely innocent.
I’m in the same boat as b hartman, why its effecting us soo hard, its our newtown, it can happen to any one of us. About the car, here’s the thing their was a case a st barnabas resident who just came off his 48 work day weny home before going to sleep wanted to lay in the sun,where he was attacked stabbed mortaly, yet somehow had the adreninal rush to get to his car, drive to sbmc,er.
When he got to the er he spoke please don’t let me die, anther good man, another west orange case, but they got the guy if I remember right his name dr morales, he passed as his friends in the er tried their best its all soo sad, safe home brendan
It took me a bit to track that other case down Karen Beal. I think you’re referring to this 1986 murder: http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/13/nyregion/mortally-wounded-physician-jots-down-clue-to-his-attacker.html . But that case, and perhaps this one, will turn on someone close to the killer turning him or her in.
I cannot believe this i knew this kid this is so sad i have since moved to maine and its notning like NJ is very violent awful place with rude people all thru it oh brendan not fair rest in peace buddy ////////wemiss you!
Thanks virginia, I’ve been thinking about the car thing all weakend shots here car their, didn’t think it was that long ago events like this are and will be forever like yesterday.
every day, i check for updates on this case; doesn’t seem like any progress is being made. Someone else asked of the media “why is there no follow up to this story ?” Great question. i want answers. We all do. I don’t know the family involved, but there is just something haunting and very puzzling about this case. One look at Brendan’s face, and you can see that we’ve lost a very sweet and good person. How about a petition via the Change.org site or whatever it’s called ? i’d like there to be a public outcry and some pressure to get this case solved, and give some answers to the people. With that tape out there, and the reward, why aren’t things moving more? someone recognizes those people !! come forward !! the person in white looks pretty distinctive, maybe even a girl (?). (and this is not a dark skinned person, btw). How about the white shirt? it seems to have a picture/design on it. Do you recognize it? have you seen one like it at the store? Please provide some info!!
It is frustrating, Renee. But as frustrating as it is, sometimes the public and the media have to step back and let law enforcement work. I’m sure they want to solve this as much as the family wants it solved. The reward is at $30,000. We can only hope that it is enough for those with information to step up and give it to the police.
I find it hard to believe that nobody knows what happened to this kid! This wasn’t random,there has gotta be a phone call or something that can shed light on why this happened..I think it was either a drug deal gone bad or maybe road rage with some psycho path from a gang doing something to get into the gang.Either way this kid didn’t deserve to be killed,he should be with his family and not in the cemetery..The county needs to up that reward and shake the cage and get someone to talk….