In the spring of 2015, a sense of unease settled over a small business in South Hackensack, New Jersey, after its owner, Richard Zarriello, a 51-year-old male, was discovered clinging to life inside. On Sunday, April 12, family members grew concerned when they were unable to reach Zarriello and requested that police check on him at his business, Clean Sweep Chimney Depot, on Route 46. There, authorities found him gravely wounded, having been shot multiple times in what appeared to be a targeted attack. He was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center, but his injuries were too severe, and he died the following day.
The investigation, led by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, quickly turned into a homicide case. Investigators revealed that Zarriello had been shot six times in the head, leading them to believe that this was not a random act of violence. While robbery was not entirely ruled out, the brutal nature of the shooting suggested a more personal motive.
The crime scene was scoured for evidence by detectives from the prosecutor's office, South Hackensack police, and the Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification. The investigation extended to other locations, including Jersey City and Monmouth County, as authorities worked to piece together the events that led to the fatal shooting.
In the months that followed, Zarriello's family, desperate for answers, took public steps to aid the investigation. His sister announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction and even hired a private investigator to look into the case. She revealed that there had been a family dispute prior to her brother's death and also mentioned a significant life insurance policy taken out on him. Despite these efforts and the ongoing police investigation, the trail to the person or persons responsible for Richard Zarriello's death grew cold. To date, there have been no arrests made in the case, and no suspects have been publicly identified, leaving a family without answers and a community with the lingering memory of a brutal and unsolved murder.
