A beloved New Jersey high school football coach has been found dead after not being heard from by his family since Christmas.
Stephen Iannoti, 72, was pronounced deceased on Wednesday, December 31, after police located his Jeep in a remote area of Cumberland County, New Jersey.
“It is with a heavy heart that we must advise that Mr Iannotti has been located, and tragically, he is deceased,” the Logan Township Police Department announced on Wednesday. “Out of respect for Coach I’s privacy and the privacy of his family, this will be the only update on this unfortunate case and we will not comment further. Thank you for your understanding.”
Authorities did not specify whether Iannoti’s body was found inside the Jeep. NBC10 Philadelphia released a helicopter video of the Jeep being taken away by a flatbed truck on Wednesday.
No cause of death has been announced.
Iannoti’s family last had contact with him on Christmas evening, telling police his 1997 Jeep Wrangler was also missing.
“His cell phone was found on the couch within the residence, and family members indicated that it was common practice for him to leave the house without taking his phone with him,” the Logan Police Department said.
Upon investigation, a Ring surveillance video from a neighbor’s home showed Iannotti leaving his driveway at 12:45 p.m. ET on December 26.
Iannoti’s Jeep did not cross any bridges since he went missing and there was no activity on his bank account since before Christmas.
In their initial report, the Logan Police Department said foul play was not suspected.
Iannoti formerly taught and coached freshman football at Kingsway Regional High School in Woolwich Township, New Jersey, according to The Post-Courier.
Dave Reiners, a former colleague of Iannoti’s, shared an emotional post about the late educator and coach via Facebook.
“I met Mr. I over 30 years ago when I entered the Kingsway community,” Reiners wrote via Facebook on Wednesday. “I was to share a classroom with him. Not once did he complain that I was in his space. He graciously accepted me, guided me and generally showed me the ropes. Everything I came to be was as a result of Steve Iannotti.”
Reiners added, “When I saw him around town he always had a smile and asked how everything was going. He was a great individual and the world will be a lesser place without him. People always talk about the lives that teachers touch, Steve was [a] teacher who took that tenfold out. Between his guidance in the classroom and his guidance on the athletic fields he touched so many lives.”
Many former coworkers commented on Reiner’s post with similar messages about the late Iannoti.
“He touched all of his colleagues,” one person wrote. “He never complained and genuinely loved his job and his students. He will be missed.”
In a separate post, another community member wrote, “God Bless his family and friends. Logan will not be the same. Every time we drove by him jogging, we felt inspired.”
