N.J. chef featured on 'Kitchen Disasters' commits suicide

TRENTON - A New Jersey chef who described "overwhelming" personal debt when he was featured on Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" show jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge in New York.

The body of Joseph Cerniglia, 39, was found floating in the Hudson River on Friday. Grace Burgess, a spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner's office, said the office yesterday ruled Cerniglia's death a suicide.

Cerniglia owned Campania in Fair Lawn, N.J., which he bought in 2006. In 2007, the debt-ridden Italian restaurant was featured on Ramsay's show.

During the broadcast, Cerniglia estimated he owed purveyors about $80,000.

"I'm financially in trouble. The debt of the restaurant alone is overwhelming," he said. "My personal debt - wife, kids, mortgage - that's a lot of debt."

His wife added, "If this business fails, we will lose everything."

"Why did you become a chef-owner if you haven't a clue how to run a business?" Ramsay asked him on the show.

A self-taught chef, Cerniglia worked for the famed New York-based Gallagher's Steakhouse chain for a decade, where he became the executive chef.

Jim Edwards, the culinary director at Chef Central in Paramus, N.J., was a close friend for the past seven years. He last saw Cerniglia three weeks ago and said he seemed his cheerful self.

"He never gave the outward appearance that there was anything bothering him," Edwards said. "He was always very creative and upbeat. He had a very infectious smile and a way of making you feel at home."

Cerniglia leaves behind his wife and three sons, ages 13, 11 and 9.