93-Year-Old WWII Vet Wins Tinton Falls Mayor Race

TINTON FALLS, NJ — It's probably one of the most heart-warming political stories to come out of Tuesday's election: A 93-year-old World War II veteran unseated the current mayor in Tinton Falls. Vito Perillo will be the ripe old age of 97 by the time he's finished his term.

93-year-old Perillo grabbed the mayoral seat from incumbent Mayor Gerald M. Turning, who was the town's administrator and even police chief and 30-year veteran of its police department before that. Spring chicken Turning is only 63. New Mayor Perillo said he wore out two pairs of shoes walking to every house in town and asking for their vote, reported the Asbury Park Press. It was an extremely close race: Perillo got 52 percent of the vote (2,611 votes) compared to 46 percent for Turning (2,311 votes). He lost to the "Greatest Generation" veteran by a mere 300 votes.

Perillo said he ran for office because he was upset about how Tinton Falls was being run, including a pair of whistle-blower lawsuits involving the police department that cost the borough $1.1 million to settle. Many may have thought Turning was a shoe-in: He ran unopposed for mayor in 2014 and was seeking his second term this year.

"I wanted to run because I was upset with some of the things this administration is doing," said Perillo, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Watch Now: 93-Year-Old WWII Vet Wins Tinton Falls Mayor Race

Photo from Vito Perillo's candidate Facebook page