In the quiet borough of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, a dispute between a landlord and his tenant tragically escalated to a fatal conclusion. Gerald Velardi, Jr., a 58-year-old male, lost his life on August 29, 2015, inside the Passaic Street home he rented. The cause of his untimely death was a single gunshot wound to the chest, the culmination of a heated verbal argument with his landlord.
The man accused of firing the fatal shot was 83-year-old John C. Wisse, the owner of the property. It was Wisse himself who placed the 911 call around 5 p.m. that Saturday, informing authorities that his downstairs tenant had been shot. Upon their arrival, law enforcement officers discovered Velardi's body at the rear of the residence. Wisse was found upstairs, and a. 38-caliber handgun was recovered at the scene.
He was taken into custody without incident.
Neighbors suggested that ongoing friction regarding the possible sale of the house had been a source of conflict between the two men. This simmering tension appears to have boiled over, leading to the deadly confrontation. Wisse was initially charged with aggravated manslaughter and illegal weapons possession. He entered a plea of not guilty to these charges.
Following the initial charges, the case was presented to a Bergen County grand jury. After reviewing the evidence, the grand jury returned an indictment, upgrading the charge against John C. Wisse to murder. His bail was set at $750,000, and he was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending further legal proceedings. The incident left the community in shock, highlighting how a seemingly ordinary disagreement could end in such a violent and permanent loss.
