Verona Man Shot at his Bloomfield business

Verona resident, Joseph G. Rossi, a longtime Bloomfield business owner and former Bloomfield resident was shot dead in his Floyd Avenue store at 1:45 pm on Friday afternoon, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Rossi owned Phoenix Amusements at 105 Floyd Avenue, right beside bodega.

Late Friday afternoon, the intersection of Floyd Avenue and LaFrance was partitioned off with police yellow tape.  Officers blocked the premises of Phoenix Amusements, a pinball and electronic game store.  Police cars and numerous vehicles from the Medical Examiner's office  and the Essex County Prosecutor's office surrounded the area.

At approximately 6:00 pm, the body of the victim was wheeled out on a stretcher and driven away by officials in a white vehicle. 

The front door of the Phoenix Amusements arcade and video store was partially shattered on Friday night but it was unclear whether the damage occurred during the shooting.

At Pete's Place bodega, the entrance was closed to customers as police officers and an Essex County Prosecutor officer questioned an employee inside who worked behind the counter. 

One local source, who declined to be named, expressed shock at the crime. "This is really bad," he said. "This is a nice neighborhood."

Meantime, two neighbors convened in front of the bodega, both visibly shaken.  One, who said he had know Rossi since 1981 when they were both store owners in town, had been informed of the incident by his wife. "I know the Rossi family for years," he said.  "I can't believe this.  I talked to him about a month ago. He told me his mother had just passed away."

Rossi had two college-age sons and was divorced, according to the neighbor (both men declined to be identified because of the nature of the crime.)

One of the neighbors had moved away but the other said he still lived in the neighborhood and that it was usually safe. "I walk around here at 5 in the morning.  It's always nice and quiet."