By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The police officer killed when a violent mob of pro-President Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday is a New Jersey native, according to reports.

Brian D. Sicknick, 42, is a 1997 graduate of Middlesex County Vocational Technical High School’s East Brunswick who grew up in neighboring South River, according to Heavy.com

Sicknick, who lived in Springfield, Virginia, served two tours with the National Guard in the Middle East before joining the U.S. Capitol police in 2008. He was assigned to the department’s First Responders Unit.

The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that Sicknick was injured “while physically engaging with protesters” during the Wednesday riot. Sicknick, who was pronounced dead at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, is the fifth person killed because of the melee. His death will be investigated as a homicide.

Sicknick was hit with a fire extinguisher while trying to protect the U.S. Capitol, NYTimes.com reported.

Sicknick’s brother told ABC News that his sibling died “a hero.”

One protester, a woman, was shot to death by Capitol Police, and there were dozens of arrests. Three other people died after “medical emergencies” related to the breach.

A Cape May County man was among dozens arrested in Washington, D.C. Leonard Guthrie, of Lower Township, was charged with unlawful entry.

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