Kearny Councilman Found Dead After Volkswagen Beetle Fire In N.J.

KEARNY, NJ — Authorities say that a Kearny councilman was discovered dead in his Volkswagen Beetle after a fire engulfed the vehicle on Saturday.

According to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the death of Kearny Councilman Jonathan Giordano is not considered suspicious and no foul play is suspected.

Prosecutors said that Kearny police responded to a report of a vehicle fire on Arlington Avenue around 12:45 p.m. to find a blue Volkswagen Beetle on fire in the parking lot of the West Hudson Lumber & Millwork Company, the company that Giordano owned.

Emergency responders discovered Giordano’s “lifeless body” in the driver seat of the car after extinguishing the flames, authorities said.

Authorities pronounced Giordano dead at 5:30 p.m.

“While the final results of the medical examiner are still pending, at this time, the death is not considered suspicious and no foul play is suspected,” Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Monday.

The exact origin and cause of the fire are still pending. The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office and Kearny Fire Department officials are conducting an ongoing investigation, authorities said.

According to the Kearny municipal website, Giordano – a father and husband - was a lifelong resident of Kearny.

He graduated Kearny High School in 1984 and attended New Jersey City University for two years before joining his father, S.J. Giordano, a past president of the Kearny Board of Education, in the family business.

A small business owner and KUEZ member, he was featured on the cover of the KUEZ magazine in the fall of 2008. Giordano was the third generation owner of West Hudson Lumber and Millwork, which manufactures commercial and institutional cabinetry, furniture and countertops. He was the president of Josam Realty and managed 3.5 acres and seven warehouses in an industrial complex; both businesses are located in Kearny.

Before becoming councilman in 2014, he served on the Train committee, as a Democrat County Committee man and on the local planning board. He served as the council liaison for the Planning Board as well as the police, water, license and lighting committees.

Photo: Kearny Township