KEARNY – OJ Tank Wash, Inc. in South Kearny where the late William D. Savino worked the day of his gruesome death is offering a reward of $10,000 for the arrest and conviction of the persons who robbed and killed Savino with a 1996 two-door Black Honda Civic with rear and front end damage on Dec. 15 at 10:37 a.m. in front of the Lincoln Highway business.
The suspects were described as two white men, possibly Hispanic, one with light complexion. The Prosecutor’s office released a sketch of one of the alleged suspects.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutors Office Homicide Unit at 201-915-1345 or the Kearny Police Department at 201-998-1313.
The investigation so far
Two men driving a 1996 black Honda Civic mercilessly ran over Savino, 87, on 10:37 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 15. The Garfield resident had made a withdrawal of $7000 earlier in the day from Valley National Bank on 100 Central Ave. for his employer, O J Food Grade Tank Truck Wash on 47-49 Old Lincoln Highway in Kearny, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.
Savino died the next day at University Hospital in Newark from the injuries sustained during the ruthless incident. Although he had retired from two previous jobs, the part-time employment at the truck wash helped keep him busy, other reports said.
“It was a completely unnecessary act of violence to effect the theft of this money,” DeFazio said,
The men in the Civic followed Savino into the parking lot of the truck wash. After the victim parked his car and was walking toward the office, he was intentionally struck by the other car, which backed into him, knocking him to the ground.
DeFazio further stated that a man got out of the Civic – went over to the downed man and took the moneybag from him. The man got back to waiting vehicle and sped off.
The State Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Newark performed an autopsy on Dec. 17. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
The Civic was found – still running but empty – on Pennsylvania Avenue near Fish House Road in South Kearny later that morning. By that time it determined that the car had been stolen from First Avenue near Bloomfield Avenue in Newark previous to the murder that morning (Dec. 15.)
The investigation is ongoing by the Prosecutor’s office, their Homicide Unit and the Kearny Police Department. DeFazio said that there is video of the brutal robbery/homicide from the truck wash.
“We’re trying to ascertain and gather any other video footage, including footage from the Valley National Bank,” DeFazio said.
Savino was found by a person who witnessed the horrifying incident who then reported it to the OJ Truck Wash who immediately called for medical and police assistance.
“This was a totally unnecessary homicide – clearly a felony homicide based on what our investigation has revealed,” he said. “We do have information that we are pursuing but we’d like, of course, if any anyone saw any part of this incident, we’d like them to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Homicide Squad.”
Anyone who might have seen something that day, which they think is not important or may not know what it was all about should give the information to the homicide detectives no matter how small an item. Every piece of evidence has relevance in a homicide.
