Nearly 7 Weeks After New Jersey Mom’s Killing, Neighbors Still Fear Every Strange Noise

CHESTER, N.J. – Almost seven weeks after 35-year-old Brooke Hanlon was stabbed to death in her Chester, New Jersey, residence, the quiet neighborhood around the Hanlon home remains uneasy, with nearby residents saying they are still on edge.

“Things that never would’ve bothered me before catch my attention,” one neighbor told INC News on Tuesday.

Neighbors said a white Volvo SUV, believed to possibly belong to Brooke Hanlon’s husband, Conor, was parked outside the property for more than four hours last week before it eventually left the area.

Residents said the appearance of the SUV was the first time they had noticed it at the Chester address since INC News previously spotted what seemed to be the same white Volvo with New Jersey plates in Boston only days earlier.

Conor Hanlon was raised in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood and still has relatives in the region.

Back in New Jersey, neighbors have been communicating with one another more frequently following Brooke’s death.

She was found dead in her Pottersville Road home on June 6 and leaves behind a 12-month-old child.

Investigators have yet to release information about a possible suspect – let alone a single person of interest.

When the vehicle was spotted in the driveway, one neighbor said, “My wife called the non-emergency line.”

“She wasn’t really feeling pretty good about it,” he added.

Without an arrest or any information about a suspect or person of interest on the loose, the neighbor told INC News he’s a gun owner and he’s ready to defend his family should the time come.

A line of trees separates his property from the Hanlon home.

His concern is shared among his peers.

“Nothing has really been released beyond what came out on the first day. They say there’s no danger to the public, but it’s hard to completely believe that when we don’t know anything else.”

Following the recent vehicle sighting, he told INC News he’s more on edge than ever before.

“Even mowing the lawn, if I hear a strange noise, it’s different now. Things that never would’ve bothered me before catch my attention,” he said.

“It’s definitely in the back of my mind.”

While INC News visited the Pottersville Road area in Chester on Tuesday, a law enforcement vehicle was spotted slowing down as it drove past the Hanlon home.

INC News took the neighbors’ safety concerns to the Chester Township Police Department, which chose not to comment on the investigation.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, which is the lead investigative agency on the case, also chose not to comment.

“The lack of transparency is a little bit unnerving at this point,” the neighbor said.

The investigation into Brooke’s death is ongoing.

INC News has repeatedly reached out to Conor Hanlon. He has yet to make a public statement about his wife’s homicide investigation.