Cherry Hill man killed in hit-and-run mourned

Sandra DelGozzo wanted her youngest son home early Friday night to be ready for a house-hunting appointment the next morning.

But when she awoke about 5 a.m. Saturday, Brian DelGozzo, 26, wasn't there.

Shortly afterward, Cherry Hill police knocked on her door to say her son had been the victim of a hit-and-run on Cooper Landing Road.

A family member said DelGozzo didn't have his car or phone at the time and might have tried to walk home from a Cherry Hill bar after a night of bar-hopping.

"No one really knows," said his brother Christian.

Family and friends remembered Brian DelGozzo as a Philadelphia Phillies fanatic. He was revered at the Cherry Hill Public Library, where employees want to create a memorial. At home, DelGozzo would dress up as Santa Claus to entertain young family members.

"Everybody loved him. He was captivating," said Michael Chapman, 27, a childhood friend.

Authorities have not announced an arrest in DelGozzo's death. Anyone with information may call Police Officer Ron Dolan at 856-432-8857.

Here is what Cherry Hill police know so far:

Shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday, a passing motorist found DelGozzo unconscious in the southbound lane of Cooper Landing Road, between New York and McGill Avenues.

Police officers and firefighters performed first aid, but DelGozzo was pronounced dead at Kennedy University Hospital in Cherry Hill.

DelGozzo suffered extensive chest trauma from the impact with an unknown vehicle, authorities said.

DelGozzo's brother Dominic said DelGozzo left his Cherry Hill home shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday and drove to the Pour House, a Westmont bar, where he met Chapman and friends.

Around 11 p.m., DelGozzo left his car at the Pour House and went to a Westmont restaurant with Chapman and others to watch the Phillies play the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chapman said.

Later that night, the four went on to Kaminski's, a Cherry Hill bar.

But about 1:30 a.m., DelGozzo and two others left Kaminski's, bound for Philadelphia. Chapman left Kaminski's about 15 minutes later, he said.

About 2:30 a.m., the two friends dropped DelGozzo back at Kaminski's, according to Chapman.

DelGozzo had left his cell phone in their car. His car was still at the Pour House.

On Monday, grief turned to anger for one family member.

"If this person would have stopped, Brian would still be here," cousin John Becker, 34, said outside the DelGozzo family home.

At Christmas, DelGozzo had assumed his father's job of dressing as Santa, in a suit too big for his slim build. He glued cotton balls to his face for a beard. Some fell off. The adults laughed. The kids loved it, family members said.

DelGozzo had a similar effect on coworkers at the Cherry Hill Public Library.

He would poke his head in colleague Katie Hardesty's office and say, "Katie, you're awesome," his catchphrase.

He worked in the maintenance and facilities department but did much more, said Hardesty, the library's director of public relations and special events.

"He was everybody's pick-me-up. He made it a joy to come to work," said Hardesty, also a friend.

An ardent Phillies fan, he almost always wore clothing with the team logo and traveled to Florida for spring training this year, she said.

DelGozzo, who graduated from Cherry Hill High School West in 2001 and attended Rutgers University-Camden, wanted to buy a house and start a career, Hardesty said. He wanted to learn to install solar panels.

Sandra DelGozzo described her son as warm, gentle, and handsome. He would walk away from arguments, she said.

"He was our heart, and now our hearts are broken," she said.