Police are investigating after a 19-year-old college student was mysteriously found shot dead inside a Jeep parked in a New Jersey lot early Thursday, prosecutors say.

Officers were called to the SUV on Northfield Avenue in West Orange shortly before 4 a.m.

Law enforcement sources say the teen, identified as Brendan Tevlin, had been playing video games at a friend's house Wednesday night, and left around 11:30 p.m.

He was shot about half an hour later. Prosecutors say it appears he was targeted.

It's not clear where Tevlin was hanging with friends, but the source says it was not at the location of the shooting.

Neighbors near where the Jeep was found say they didn't hear any noises until the police arrived.

Faculty at his former high school, Seton Hall Prep, said he was a well-liked boy who had good grades and many friends.

"He was an 'A' student, very conscientious, a model citizen," said his calculus teacher, Joe Boland.