Bill Pascrell, longtime NJ congressman, dies at 87

PATERSON, N.J. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Longtime Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr., of New Jersey, died Wednesday morning at the age of 87, his family said.

In a statement posted to social media, his family wrote: “It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning.”

Pascrell had served as a Democratic representative for New Jersey since 1997. He had been in and out of the hospital in recent weeks for a respiratory infection.

“As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved,” his family said. “Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America.”

Pascrell, a 14-term incumbent and a fixture in his hometown of Paterson for more than four decades, was slated to run for a 15th term in the fall.

He served in the Army and Army Reserve after college and graduate school, then worked as a teacher in Paterson and served on the Board of Education there from 1979 to 1982 before going on to the state Legislature. He was Paterson's mayor from 1990 to 1996, when he ran for Congress.

Gov. Phil Murphy called the late congressman "a giant of New Jersey and a lifelong champion for our most vulnerable neighbors."

"He grew up in a tight-knit Italian American family that instilled in him a tireless work ethic, a deep devotion to giving back to his community, and an unwavering instinct for drawing strength from our state’s diversity," the governor said. "He was a unifier in every sense of the word— and always sought to bring the people of New Jersey together around our shared principles."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.