DEPTFORD HOMICIDE
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and the Deptford Township Police Department are investigating the murder of 32-year-old Joseph Pirri, of Blackwood. Mr. Pirri’s death was the result of an assault on Tanyard Road near the intersection of Mail Avenue in Deptford Township NJ at about 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7th. He was pronounced deceased at 6:59 p.m. Thursday (3/15/18) at Cooper Medical Center, Camden. An autopsy by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner ruled that the cause of death was an incised (sharp instrument) wound to the face and the manner of death was homicide.
After the attack, Mr. Pirri was able to provide a detailed description of the assailant’s vehicle and described the assailant as an adult black male, wearing a gray vest and jeans. It is believed the suspect was operating a white-over-tan Ford King Ranch pickup truck with a crew cab. The truck was equipped with a bed-mounted toolbox.
The suspect vehicle left the scene where it and Mr. Pirri’s red Nissan Versa had stopped and traveled in an aggressive manner southbound on Tanyard Road to its end, turning right onto Barnsboro Road. It then turned left onto Woodbury–Glassboro Road, continuing southbound to Route 47, traveling through Glassboro. The truck then traveled into Clayton Borough. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and the Deptford Police Department believe there are additional witnesses who may be able to assist with information regarding the circumstances of the attack on Tanyard Road as well as the assailant’s flight from the scene in the King Ranch pickup. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact GCPO Det. Warren Rivell at 609-685-7396 or Det. Rory Tipping of the Deptford PD at 856-462-1334.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has been in continuous contact with the victim’s family during this ongoing investigation. It is requested that the privacy of the family be respected as they mourn the loss of their loved one. Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles A. Fiore offered praise for the seamless cooperation between his office and the Deptford Police Department, and extended his sympathy to the Pirri family.
“Working as a team, we are tenaciously pursuing each and every lead and will not rest until we have apprehended and prosecuted the assailant in this attack,” Prosecutor Fiore said. “We are confident this was an isolated incident. This type of violent and abhorrent outburst has no place in our communities. While we continue our investigation, we encourage anyone with information they believe will assist our efforts to reach out to our officers without delay.”