The husband of a top New Jersey lawyer has tragically died during a deep-dive expedition to a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Cod.
Joe Mazraani had successfully conducted countless dives in his work as president of Atlantic Wreck Salvage.
On July 29, he was diving with a group from his boat Tenacious when he reportedly suffered a medical emergency.
He was hauled back onto the boat and other divers attempted to perform life-saving measures, but he could not be revived.
Mazraani’s wife, New Jersey Public Defender Jennifer Sellitti, said ‘all indications point to a medical emergency.’
‘While we are choosing to keep the details private, we currently have no reason to suspect diver error or equipment failure,’ she said.
The group had been exploring an unidentified shipwreck referred to as ‘The Big Engine Steamer’ at the time of the tragedy.
It was brought back in to New Bedford, Massachusetts the following morning. State and local police, as well as the US Coast Guard, are investigating the circumstances of Mazraani’s death.
The well-known maritime historian and technical diver had been a scuba diver since the mid 1990s and had cut his teeth wreck-diving off the coasts of New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
He was also a criminal defense lawyer.
‘Joe Mazraani was larger than life,’ his partner said in a moving tribute.
‘He was kind, compassionate and generous. A mentor and a student, a friend, brother, son and partner.
‘Whether motoring aboard D/V Tenacious, diving into deep and dangerous water, or defending his clients in court, Joe demanded the best of everyone around him. Sometimes he demanded it grumpily – but he always demanded by example.
‘He lived every moment fully, without compromise. He did not want to die doing what he loved – none of us do.
‘He wanted to survive it, to grow old doing it. But when you live at the edge, sometimes the edge pushes back.’
The New Jersey Office of the Public Defender paid tribute to Mazraani in a Facebook post on August 1, writing: ‘With deep sadness, we share the loss of Joe Mazraani, beloved partner of Public Defender Sellitti and a cherished member of the legal and diving communities.
‘Joe passed on July 29 in a diving-related incident, believed to be caused by a medical emergency.
‘Joe was larger than life: fearless, kind, and deeply committed to justice. Our hearts are with the Public Defender and his loved ones.’
