It's official, an elderly man was beaten to death.
Anthony “Tony” Verdicchio's killer or killers, however remain on the loose leaving a quiet community uneasy.
On Thursday, Ocean County Coroner Joseph Coronato officially ruled Verdicchio's death a blunt-force trauma homicide.
On Monday, at 5:18 p.m., Manchester Township Police received a report of an elderly man who was unconscious and not breathing.
Police responded to a home in the Pine Acres Manor Mobile Home Park in Manchester Township, Ocean County, N.J. When they arrived, they found Verdicchio with injuries to his head.
Investigators say Verdicchio was last seen on Sunday at the 9 a.m. mass of the St. Paul Lutheran Church on Cable Avenue in Beachwood, N.J. Police want to speak with anyone who may have talked to or seen Verdicchio between 10 Sunday morning and 5 Monday evening.
As police continue to investigate, those who knew Verdicchio are trying to come to terms with his death.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
“It’s just ridiculous,” said Verdicchio’s friend, Toni Ferreri. “It’s horrible.”
Ferreri says her neighbor and friend for two decades had no enemies.
“I really hope to God they find who did this,” she said. “He was really a very, very nice man.”
If you have any information on this incident, please call the Manchester Township Police at 732-657-6111 or the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027.
