PHOTO: Investigators are still looking for Gary Russo, who was last seen in his Howard Beach community nearly a month ago. Photo Courtesy of garyrussosite.com
With seemingly very little leads for investigators to track down, the search for Howard Beach resident Gary Russo, and hope for a positive outcome, turned a bit colder this week.
The ironworker, dubbed the “2nd Avenue Sinatra” due to his penchant for serenading passersby and his fellow construction workers with Chairman of the Board classics in an uncanny impression that matched Old Blue Eyes’ timbre and cadence, was last seen in Howard Beach shortly after midnight on July 28. Cops found his pickup truck on 165th Avenue near Cross Bay Boulevard a couple of days after he was declared missing. And investigators dispatched bloodhounds to pick up Russo’s scent, but said the dogs lost his essence “a couple blocks up” from the truck.
According to The Associated Press, Russo’s friend Apryl Nebozenko indicated that he seemed “uncharacteristically down and drained” when she saw him approximately two weeks before his disappearance. She said that Russo, 54, was a bit more positive when they spoke a few days later.
Russo was described as being 5-foot-8, weighing approximately 145 pounds, with hazel eyes and balding gray hair.
Amber Russo, one of Gary’s two daughters, issued this heartfelt plea on Facebook earlier this month:
I’m asking for help from everyone on Facebook to share this picture. My father has been missing; he hasn’t been seen or heard from since Tuesday, July 28th. If anyone knows his whereabouts or have seen him please message me. I just want to know that he is okay, please and thank you!”
Russo shot to Internet fame in 2011 with his lunchtime Sinatra concerts. He would eventually write a book, “Don’t Die with Your Song Unsung,” play clubs like the famed Blue Note, and be featured on nearly every major news outlet, including NBC News, Reuters, the New York Post, ABC News, “Good Morning America,” and “Inside Edition.”
Anyone with information is asked to call (347) 844-5644 or (516) 315-4769.
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
