Authorities say a man killed seven people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including his cousin, in May and June, often within a matter of hours.

In announcing charges Thursday against 22-year-old Todd West of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County Prosecutor Grace Park called the killing spree "unprecedented."

West is charged with killing three people and wounding a fourth in Elizabeth in a matter of hours between June 25 and June 26.

He's charged in the May fatal shooting of his cousin.

West and two others are being held after they were charged with killing a man and a woman in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. They're also accused of killing a person in Easton, Pennsylvania, 45 minutes earlier.

It's unclear whether West has a lawyer who can comment on the charges.

The prosecutor says the same handgun was used in all the shootings.