On the evening of Friday, December 14, 1979, Patrolman Anthony Lordi, Jr., a 44-year-old male, was working a uniformed special assignment at a Gino's Restaurant on North Broad Street in Hillside, New Jersey. A veteran of the Hillside Police Department with 22 years of service, Lordi was a familiar and reassuring presence in the community. The seemingly ordinary evening took a tragic turn when five individuals entered the restaurant with the intent to commit a robbery.
Two of the suspects entered the establishment while the other three remained in a vehicle outside. One of the men who went inside approached Patrolman Lordi and asked for the time. As Lordi lifted his arm to check his watch, the man brandished a handgun and attempted to disarm him. A struggle ensued, and in the midst of the confrontation, Patrolman Lordi was shot with his own service weapon. Despite being mortally wounded, his presence and actions may have prevented the robbery from being completed.
The five suspects fled the scene without taking any money.
Patrolman Lordi was rushed to a local hospital for medical attention. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after midnight, passing away in the early hours of December 15, 1979. The law enforcement community launched an intensive investigation to bring those responsible to justice. Their efforts paid off, and several days later, all five suspects were apprehended. The individual who fired the fatal shot, a 23-year-old man, was located and arrested in Bradenton, Florida. On January 11, 1981, he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Patrolman Anthony Lordi, Jr.
