On a Saturday morning in July 2023, the quiet of a Hackensack, New Jersey, nursing facility was shattered by a tragic event. Inside the CareOne at Wellington, 73-year-old Patricia Ann Zaccario and her 76-year-old husband, Michael Zaccario, were discovered, both having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The discovery was made after a 911 call was placed from the facility shortly before 9 a.m.
Patricia, a former employee of the Arc of Bergen and Passaic County, had been a resident of the nursing home. Her husband, Michael, had come to visit her that morning. The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office quickly determined that the incident was a domestic one, specifically a murder-suicide.
Investigators concluded that Michael Zaccario shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances that led to the tragic event. As the investigation concluded that the incident was a murder-suicide, law enforcement is not actively seeking any suspects. The community was left to mourn the loss of the couple, with a funeral mass held for Patricia the following week.
