Husband of top lawyer, 47, suddenly dies during deep-dive expedition to shipwreck in 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Sun
Swimmer in his 20s who died after getting into trouble at UK beauty spot is pictured – as his brother pays tribute
A SWIMMER in his 20s has died after getting into serious trouble at a popular UK beauty spot. Ezra Tilf was rushed to hospital after being rescued from the Norfolk Broads on Tuesday night before passing away. 2 Emergency services were called to Horstead Mill at around 6.30pm following reports of a young man getting into difficulties in the River Bure. Ezra was pulled from the water as shocked onlookers are believed to have tried to resuscitate him before emergency services arrived. HM Coastguard confirmed rescue teams from Winterton and Bacton attended the scene in Mill Road, alongside Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service. Ezra was taken to hospital but passed away shortly after arriving. His older brother Jacob has now posted a touching tribute on Facebook. It reads: "To anyone who knew my bestest little baby brother he passed away last night. "I never thought I'd ever have to say goodbye Ezra. "So please everyone who is thinking it's fun to go to the rivers always be extra careful please as this could happen to anyone. "Rest in peace brother I f***ing miss and love you." One comment under the Facebook post described Ezra as "lovely' with another saying "he had the purest heart'. Norfolk Police have said the death is not being treated as suspicious. It is believed Ezra got into trouble when he was playing underneath the mill's bridge - a notoriously dangerous and fast-flowing spot.
The Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Sun
Brit schoolgirl, 13, drowned while snorkelling with dad at Florida theme park – as tributes pour in to ‘beautiful soul'
A BRITISH schoolgirl, 13, drowned while snorkelling at a theme park in Florida, an inquest heard. Anna Beaumont, from St Fagans, Cardiff, tragically died on a family holiday while swimming at the Discovery Cove theme park in Orlando. The schoolgirl was spotted "floating and unresponsive" in the natural-style pool on May 28 last year. An inquest, held in Pontypridd, heard the teen had been snorkelling with her dad Peter. He left her side to go and see her younger brother but he heard a lifeguard whistle around ten minutes later. Anna was discovered in the water without her snorkel, and with blood and water in her mask. She was rushed to Arnold Palmer Hospital but sadly did not regain consciousness. Coroner Kerrie Burge said Anna died the following day, and a medical cause of death was given as immersion in water. The inquest heard keen rower Anna was a "strong swimmer with no current health concerns." She had previously been diagnosed with childhood absence epilepsy in July 2016 after she was seizure free for three years. The coroner said: "Whilst a small risk of seizures remained, Anna had not experienced any. "There is no evidence to confirm how Anna came to be unresponsive in the water. "She was not seen to have a seizure or to encounter any difficulties and there was no medical evidence of seizure activity during her time in hospital or at post mortem examination." The coroner concluded: "Anna died following immersion in water. "It is not possible to establish, on the balance of probabilities, how Anna came to be in difficulties in the water." 1 is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Martha's Vineyard rocked as famous MAGA lawyer MISGENDERS food stall owner who refused to serve him
MAGA lawyer Alan Dershowitz 's war against a pierogi stand in Martha's Vineyard continued to escalate this week after he misgendered the chef. Dershowitz showed up to Good Pierogi again on Wednesday to ask that they sell to him after the vendor previously refused to because of 'his politics.' As he asked for pierogis, the lawyer repeatedly referred to stand owner and chef Krem Miskevich as 'he,' enraging them. 'My pronouns are they/them, and you know about this, and you continue to misgender me,' Miskevich told Dershowitz. The lawyer then corrected himself and said his issue was not Miskevich's gender identity. 'You are they, you are them. I'm happy to use whatever pronouns you want,' he replied, 'This is not about that.' Last week, Dershowitz claimed Miskevich did not want to sell to him because they are anti-Zionist and protesting against Israel. The lawyer launched a campaign against the vendor, sharing his intent to sue over the incident. However, Miskevich said the issue was that Dershowitz once defended pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Dershowitz helped Epstein secure what many have called a lenient plea deal from the Miami US Attorney's Office in 2008 that led to him only serving 13 months jail. 'I personally know too many sexual abuse survivors. Mr. Dershowitz consciously decided to befriend and defend men who have been accused of abusing and harming women,' they said. 'In our minds and hearts, selling to Alan Dershowitz was the equivalent to supporting his decisions and statements.' After the spat went viral, Dershowitz went back to the pierogi stand, saying he was doing so 'in an effort to try to restore community and to ask you to sell me pierogi in the interest of keeping the island together so we don't have to have two pierogi stands: one for anti-Zionists and one for people who will sell to anybody.' Dershowitz also tried handing Miskevich a signed copy of his book, which the chef declined. 'I am very surprised that you're here because of the things that you've been saying about us and the business online,' Miskevich said. 'I really do not appreciate what you've been sharing in the last week.' After the crowd starting changing, 'Time to go!,' Dershowitz proceeded to leave the market without pierogis, defeated. Dershowitz told Daily Mail last week that Miskevich said they wouldn't sell to him because they didn't approve of his politics. In a post on X, Dershowitz declared that he would be 'suing' and called the Good Pierogi a 'bigoted vendor.' 'The clear implication was that he opposed me because I defended Donald Trump on the floor of the Senate,' Dershowitz said. Dershowitz was one of the lawyers who defended Trump in his first impeachment trial in 2020. He was also part of the 'Dream Team' that convinced a jury to acquit O.J. Simpson in his 1995 murder trial. This is not the first highly public spat that Dershowitz has had with someone on Martha's Vineyard. Back in 2021, he and Larry David - whom he was friends with for 25 years - got into a screaming match at a general store, according to Dershowitz. The comedian was reportedly furious that Dershowitz patted Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the back, which was first reported by PageSix.
