Seven people were shot, including one fatally, at a fast-food chain restaurant in Union Township, New Jersey, on Saturday night, according to authorities.

The Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan reference resource, listed the reported shooting at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in the 2300 block of Route 22 as the 100th mass shooting documented in the US this year, as of Sunday. The archive defines mass shootings as cases in which four or more victims are wounded or killed.

A statement from the local county prosecutor’s office said that Saturday’s shooting erupted at the Chick-fil-A location at about 9pm. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, and six others were treated for injures that were considered not life-threatening, according to the statement, issued early on Sunday afternoon.

“While no arrests have been made at this time,” the statement continued, “the preliminary investigation reveals this does not appear to be a random act of violence and that there is no immediate ongoing threat to the general public.”

New Jersey-based news outlet RLS Media reported that dozens of patrons scrambled to safety during the violence.

WABC of nearby New York City reported that employees of the eatery were still inside after 11pm on Saturday, and their family members waited outside. One man who was waiting told a reporter for the outlet that his son, a Chick-fil-A employee, had said several of his co-workers were wounded in the shooting after multiple masked people entered the restaurant.

It was a “war zone”, the father also said to WABC.

WABC furthermore spoke with a ridesharing service driver who described hearing seven shots as he completed a trip nearby at the time of the attack.

The New Jersey governor, Mikie Sherrill, published a statement on the social media platform X on Sunday in which she said she had been “briefed on the shooting last night in Union Township”.

“As local law enforcement continues their investigation, we remain in close contact with officials on the ground,” Sherrill’s post said. “My thoughts are with those who were injured in the shooting, and with their families.”

A statement attributed to Union Township mayor, Patricia Guerra-Frazier, on Sunday added: “Our community is heartbroken and shaken by the tragic act of violence that occurred last night at a local Chick-fil-A. What should have been an ordinary evening has left families grieving, individuals injured, and our entire township in shock.

“This tragedy is a painful reminder of the work that remains to ensure the safety of our communities. Violence has no place in the township of Union, and we will continue to stand together – stronger and more united – in the face of it.”

The US annually reports high numbers of mass shootings, particularly when compared with other high-income countries. Many in the US have therefore called for more substantial gun control, though Congress has been unable or unwilling to heed those pleas.

Union Township has a population of about 60,000. It is about 17 miles west of New York City.