A veteran Essex County Sheriff's officer serving in Afghanistan with the New Jersey Army National Guard was killed Wednesday, Sheriff Armando Fontoura said Thursday afternoon.

Staff Sgt. Jorge Oliveira, 33, of Newark, was on his third, year-long tour of duty during the incident. He previously served in Iraq and Cuba, according to Fontoura.

When contacted by phone, officials with the National Guard did not confirm the death or release details about the incident. A spokesman with the sheriff's office said the U.S. Dept. of Defense plans to make an announcement around 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Oliveira, an 11-year member with the sheriff's office, is the 140th service member with connections to New Jersey that has died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to statistics compiled by The Star-Ledger.

Outside Oliveira's family home Thursday afternoon on Darcy Street in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood, sheriff's officers surrounded the block as Fontoura met with friends and relatives inside. A National Guard officer paced in front of the home, wiping his eyes. The officer said he could not talk about the death.

As Fontoura left the house, he called Oliveira a "great guy." "He loved this department," he said. "He showed up every day for work and he loved what he did."

The sheriff said Oliveira's family was too distraught to speak with this reporter.

Meanwhile, at an unrelated press event Thursday morning in Newark's Branch Brook Park, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said Oliveira defined the role of a sheriff's officer and a guardsman, "Anytime he had the opportunity to go over there and serve and protect us all, he signed up."

Word of Oliveira's death quickly spread Wednesday into Thursday on the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker said via Twitter late Wednesday night that his "heart aches" and that his "prayers are with (the) family."

The New Jersey State Patrolmen's Benevolent Association posted a photo on the organization's Facebook page around 11 a.m. Thursday of Oliveira in his National Guard uniform. Shortly after, more than 50 comments poured in about the officer — most said, "Rest in peace."

One comment, by Carol Piscitelli, called Oliveira an "American hero."