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"A Man Of True Character" Remembering Paul Seitz
By Ryan Fennell
By all accounts Paul Seitz was an incredible man, a man of true character who exemplified dedication to family and community.
Seitz, a 26-year law enforcement veteran and father of two, died last Friday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City at the age of 51.
Seitz had been battling cancer for the last six years of his life.
He began his law enforcement career in 1980 as a police officer in Long Branch. Later in his career, Seitz accepted a position as a drug enforcement agent in Maine where he was instrumental in his involvement in the largest cocaine bust in the state's history.
"Paul Seitz was a tremendous detective and a better man," Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Peter Warshaw said. "He cared deeply about crime victims and put every ounce of his being into all of his cases. He was kind, considerate, and compassionate."
Seitz returned to New Jersey after three years and became a member of the Monmouth Beach Police Department before accepting a position with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's office. He retired from law enforcement in 2006.
During his time with the prosecutor's office, Seitz worked diligently on the 1968 murder of Jane Durrua, which had gone unsolved for 40 years. Seitz has been credited with connecting convicted murderer Robert Zarinsky to the crime which led to Zarinsky being charged in Durrua's murder, however, Zarinsky never went to trial in the case due to his death in November 2008.
Seitz was a man of large stature and had a heart to match, according to those close to him. He was an adoring father who lived his life for his children, Glenn 22, and Jenna, 19.
Seitz lived in Eatontown for 19 years and was married to his ex-wife, Heidi Seitz, for over 20 years. The two remained close friends until his death.
"He was a magnificent man," Heidi Seitz said. "He was so proud of Glenn and Jenna. There was nothing he was more proud of. There was no crime that he solved he was more proud of than those kids."
"If the sky was falling, Paul would hold it over our heads," Seitz added. "He was a role model and an example for everybody on living and on dying."
Seitz was an exemplary police officer and a dedicated servant to the community.
Monmouth Beach Police Chief Drew Winans, who joined the Long Branch Police Department one year before Seitz, remembers when he came to work as a police officer in Monmouth Beach.
"He had a short stay because Paul was a very energetic police officer and Monmouth Beach just wasn't busy enough for him. Having the opportunity to go to the prosecutor's office and work the amount of cases and crimes he solved was what he was looking forward to," Winans said. "He was one of the best police officers I've ever worked with and he was probably one of the best friends I've ever had."
Despite his imposing physique, Seitz has been described as a man with a heart just as large willing to lend a hand to anyone in need.
He had even acquired the nickname "Father Paul" because of his diplomatic and insightful nature.
"You didn't expect it from him because he was such a bear," Heidi Seitz said. "He was a gentle giant."
According to Seitz's close friends and family, he never wavered even in the face of cancer.
"He fought cancer like he fought crime," Winans said. "He wasn't going to give up on it. There wasn't a treatment that he wasn't willing to try."
"He didn't lay down and die. He persevered and he attacked the cancer like he would attack an investigation," said Seitz's fiancé Andrea Tozzi.
Tozzi met Seitz six years ago, after he had been diagnosed but said that he was such an amazing man she couldn't let him go.
"There were so many things I loved about him," Tozzi said. "One of the most incredible was, even during his illness, he never wallowed in self-pity. He never asked, "why me?" We had wonderful years together. I am blessed that I had the six years that I did."
According to Tozzi even people whom Seitz had arrested would occasionally came back to thank him for trying to help them and get them on a better path.
"He had a heart of gold," Tozzi said. "He helped countless people."
Between 700 and 800 people attended Seitz's funeral services, Heidi Seitz said, adding that four different individuals approached her at her ex-husband's funeral to let her know that Seitz had saved their lives.
"One woman said he saved her family's life," she said.
According to Tozzi, because of Seitz's illness his children were screened and it was determined that the children had some issues that could have led to Seitz's illness.
"He always said everything happens for a reason and you can't take anything for granted in life," Tozzi said. "He truly believed it. Even him getting sick happened for a reason and I think that reason was so his kids wouldn't go through it."
Tozzi said that his dedication to his children was unwavering.
According to Tozzi, Seitz had been in Florida investigating a case when he received a call from his doctor's informing him that his cancer had returned and that it was very serious.
When he arrived home, he informed a mutual friend that he had received some really bad news but had to put it out of his mind because his son had a baseball game that day and he wanted to be there.
"He never missed an opportunity to tell me he loved me," said Tozzi. "He always told people close to him how he felt. He always wanted them to know. He was a big mush-ball in a muscular body."
"Everything everybody said is true," said Dave Lynch, a lifelong friend of Seitz's and Old Bridge Police Officer. "He never stopped being a cop. He was the reason I went into it. That guy was bigger than life."
