Autistic boy, 16, 'shot dead his parents and sister at close range' - as it's revealed the family were facing foreclosure and previously filed for bankruptcy

• Scott Kologi allegedly killed his relatives at their Long Branch, New Jersey, home on New Year's Eve
• His parents Steven Kologi, 44, and Linda Kologi, 42, sister Brittany, 18, and grandfather's girlfriend Mary Schulz, 70, died at the scene
• Older brother Steven Jr,  grandfather Adrian and a female friend in her 20s were uninjured in the shooting
• Neighbors confirmed the boy was autistic and required special assistance
• Police said the teen used a semi-automatic rifle that was legally purchased by a resident of the house  
• Kologis were facing the prospect of losing their home to foreclosure and in 2009 filed for bankruptcy  

An autistic 16-year-old boy allegedly shot his parents, his sister and a family friend multiple times at close range in a New Year's Eve massacre, which was carried out as the struggling family were facing the prospect of losing their New Jersey home to foreclosure. 

Scott Kologi was due to make an initial court appearance on Tuesday, but it was postponed until Wednesday as a judge weighed a request by a media organization to open the family court proceeding, which is normally closed. The request was ultimately denied. 

The victims, who weren't all in the same room of the house, were shot with a rifle loaded with a 15-round magazine, Monmouth County prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni revealed on Tuesday. 

Gramiccioni didn't disclose a possible motive for Sunday's bloodbath.

'We think this was fairly sudden, and quick,' he said.

The victims were identified as the boy's parents, 44-year-old Steven Kologi and 42-year-old Linda Kologi; his 18-year-old sister, Brittany Kologi; and 70-year-old Mary Schultz, who lived with the family and was the grandfather's girlfriend.

The boy's grandfather Adrian, his older brother, Steven Kologi Jr, and a family friend, a woman in her 20s, escaped the house uninjured. One of the survivors called 911, Gramiccioni said, though he didn't identify which person made the call. Police responded within a minute. 

The family's two pets, a cat and a dog, were found unharmed inside the home.  

Gramiccioni didn't comment on Scott Kologi's mental state. On Monday, a neighbor, 18-year-old Jalen Walls, who went to school with Brittany Kologi, told NJ.com that the boy required special assistance and was cared for by his mother. 

The 16-year-old did not attend the same public schools as his siblings, Walls said, but was 'fully functional and comprehended what we were saying.'

The murder weapon, a semi-automatic made by Century Arms, had been legally purchased by someone in the home who escaped the shooting, Gramiccioni said. 

Charges weren't being contemplated against the gun's owner, he said. Under New Jersey law, a gun owner can be charged with a disorderly persons offense if a minor gains access to a gun the owner didn't secure in a locked container or with a trigger lock.

Gramiccioni said his office has 60 days to file a motion to have the case transferred to adult court, a move he said he planned to make 'sooner rather than later.'

Scott Kologi is represented by the Monmouth County public defender's office. He is facing four counts of murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

On New Year's Day, his brother Steven Kologi Jr wrote a post on Instagram urging his followers 'to give the ones you love an extra kiss or I love you,' and said that he had 'the greatest parents' he 'could ask for' who made Christmas special for their family each year, although they struggled financially.

'Never once was I without a hot meal or a roof over my head,' Steven Jr. wrote on social media.

The Asbury Park Press reported that the heavily indebted family were facing foreclosure on their home, and that two weeks before the killings, they were declared in default on a mortgage from 2006 - one of multiple mortgages the Kologis had taken out on the $160,000 Long Branch property over the years.

In 2009, the family had filed for federal bankruptcy;.the document listed Steven Kologi's occupation as a mail carrier for the US Postal Service and indicated that he ans his wife owed more than $72,000 in unpaid credit card bills.

Despite their financial woes, friends and family described Linda and Steven Kologi as hardworking and loving parents who went out of their way to care for their family. 

The pair had three children together, and Mrs Kologi also had a 25-year-old son from a previous relationship.

'It's a terribly tragic incident,' Gramiccioni said of the slaughter on Monday.  

A shocked family friend, Joe Rios, told the New York Post that Scott Kologi was the 'nicest kid in the world'.

'(The boy) came to watch the softball games with Linda and he was always smiling. This is totally out of the blue,' Rios said of the teen.  

'This is not something I ever thought this young boy would do. I don't know what happened. He was not a violent kid. He was always smiling.' 

Tributes poured in for the Kologi family as friends and family woke to the news on New Year's Day.

'I've known Steve 'Kujo' Kologi for decades and I can say this, I've never had an argument or disagreement since I've known him,' friend Dave Farmer wrote on Facebook.

'He was a brother and softball brother in arms. Had your back NO MATTER WHAT! He made playing the game easy and fun as all hell. I have a heavy heart and soul this morning.'

Another friend, Isabella Marie, wrote on Facebook: 'I love you, Linda and Brittany with my entire heart. You all made up the beat years of my life.

'I'm so blessed to have had the time I did with your family. Thank you for protecting me from mean boys all the time too. Love you big Steve.'