Chief Samuel A. Guzzi

Chief Samuel A. Guzzi

AGE: 90 • Atlantic Highlands

Entered into eternal life on Thursday, July 13, 2017 at Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank. He was born in Long Branch, NJ and was a life-long resident of Atlantic Highlands.

Chief Guzzi was a communicant of St. Agnes RC Church, Atlantic Highlands and a veteran of WW-2 serving in the US Navy.

Chief Guzzi served 33 years with the Atlantic Highlands Police Dept. Having started his career with the department as a Patrolman in 1954, he rose through the ranks, becoming a Detective Sergeant, a Captain and finally Chief of Police in 1977. Chief Guzzi retired from the AHPD in 1987, but with true commitment to public service continued his career, joining the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office as an Agent for 18 years. He was at one time the President of the Monmouth Count Chiefs of Police Association, as well as a member of the New Jersey State Chiefs of Police and the International Chiefs of Police Association.

Sam worked many investigations through his career but the most notable was the Calandriello Kidnapping-Murder case. On August 25th 1969, Rosemary Calandriello was abducted. Sam worked day and night on the case and within days of Rosemary's disappearance, he knew that a Linden man named Robert Zarinsky had taken her. He suspected Rosemary was dead, but he worked around the clock to find her, in the hope that she was alive.

Through dogged police work, Sam learned that Zarinsky had stalked other young girls in the area, but they had been lucky enough to get away. He suspected Zarinsky was responsible for the unsolved murders of several other teenage girls. Sam was certain Zarinsky was a serial-killer and that it was only a matter of time before he killed again, but he couldn't convince the county prosecutor to pursue a case against Zarinsky because Rosemary's body hadn't been found. At the time, no one in New Jersey had ever been convicted of murder without a corpse. That didn't stop Sam. For the next five years, he pursued Zarinsky until, finally, in 1975, he persuaded the young Prosecutor John Mullaney and First Assistant Prosecutor Malcom Carton that the Calandriello case was winnable - even without Rosemary's body.

Sam was right. Mullaney took the case to trial and Zarinsky was convicted of Rosemary Calandriello's murder. It was the first murder conviction without a body in the state's history. The truth is, had it not been for Sam Guzzi, countless other innocent young girls surely would have been murdered by Zarinsky. But because of Sam's commitment and perseverance, those potential victims were saved.

Sam Guzzi was the epitome of the ideal policeman. He was nothing less than a hero.

Chief Guzzi was pre-deceased by his parents; Anthony & Amelia Guzzi, his 2 sons' Robert & Samuel Guzzi, a grandson; Bill Hardie, his brother Peter Guzzi and sister, Theresa Petraglia.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Barbara Hayden Guzzi, 3 daughters: Lois Husar of Atlantic Highlands, Cynthia and husband Richard Benson of Branford, Conn., Lydia Hardie of Akron OH., a sister Antionette Knittel of Jensen Beach, Fla. and 2 grandchildren, Lucy Husar and Andy Husar.

A Funeral Mass will be offered on Tuesday, at 10 AM from St. Agnes RC Church, Atlantic Highlands. Relatives & friends are invited to call at Posten's Funeral Home, 59 E. Lincoln Ave. at Central & E. Garfield Ave. Atlantic Highlands on Monday 2-4 & 7-9 PM. In lieu of flowers donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at www.Stjude.org would be preferred. Interment services are private and at the convenience of the family.