BRICK — Joseph C. Scarpelli, a longtime public official whose decades of civic involvement helped shape Brick Township but whose tenure was later marred by a federal corruption conviction has died. He was 86.
According to an obituary posted on the Asbury Park Press website, Scarpelli passed away on January 30.
Born Nov. 18, 1939, in New York City to Joseph and Helen Masucci Scarpelli, he attended Cardinal Hayes High School and later studied at Fordham University. During summers at the Jersey Shore, he worked as a lifeguard in Long Branch, where he met Dorothy Montulet. The couple married in 1960 and raised four children.
A devout Catholic and fixture in the community, Scarpelli moved to Brick in the 1960s and soon immersed himself in public service. Over more than three decades, he served on the township’s school board, Township Council and as mayor, a role he held for 12 years.
As mayor, he launched the township’s popular Summerfest concert series in 1995, a seasonal tradition that continues to draw crowds. He also promoted open space preservation and hosted a local cable-access call-in show where residents could ask questions directly, a format that earned him a reputation for accessibility.
Under his administration, the township in 2003 purchased the former Foodtown shopping center property on Route 70 for $6.1 million, a redevelopment effort that has remained a topic of discussion for many years and through multiple subsequent administrations.
His public career, however, was complicated by legal troubles. In the mid-2000s, Scarpelli was indicted on federal public corruption charges and resigned as mayor in 2006. He later pleaded guilty in 2007 in federal court in Newark to a charge of extortion under color of official right, admitting he accepted about $5,000 in cash payments from a real estate developer in exchange for using his office to assist with approvals and other official actions.
He served time at the federal prison camp at Fort Dix and was released in 2009.
After his release, Scarpelli largely stayed out of public life, remaining close with family, friends and neighbors and keeping a lower profile around town.
Despite the controversies, many residents remembered Scarpelli as a personable and ever-present figure in local government during a period of growth in Brick.
According to the obituary, friends and family described Scarpelli as outgoing and warm, someone who made connections easily and delighted in holidays, model trains and large family gatherings. He often said his favorite title was “grandfather,” rarely missing a game, recital or school event.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; his son Glenn; and his daughter-in-law Patricia Colant. He is survived by children Craig Scarpelli and his wife, Elizabeth; Kim Bogan and her husband, Andrew; and Kyle Scarpelli and his wife, Sarah; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; his sister Pam Quis; and extended family members.
No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the JBJ Soul Foundation.
