A ‘Peachy’ Guy
Hoboken Local 2 remembers their fallen friend Peter Zanin
The city of Hoboken knew Peter Zanin as a dedicated sergeant who served the community he grew up in with a devoted fervor.
His closest friends and colleagues also knew Zanin affectionately as “Peachy” — a childhood nickname that came from his red hair. He carried the nickname all the way to the Hoboken Police Department, which he joined in 1999.
“I have memories of Peachy running around with his friends,” recalled Hoboken Local 2 State Delegate Mark Aurigemma, who has 38 years on the job. “He was just a kid running around with those friends, and most of them are cops here now.”
Zanin was a lifelong resident of Hoboken before moving to Parsippany a year ago. He passed away on Nov. 21 at the age of 46 while fighting medical complications following a two-week illness at St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville. He’s survived by his loving wife, Samantha, and his three children, Olivia, Christian and Madison.
As an engaged member of the PSOA, the supervisors’ union in Hoboken, the Hoboken Local 2A member was heavily involved in events that gave back to the community. Aurigemma facilitated turkey giveaways for Thanksgiving and Toys for Tots during Christmas early in his career, but once Zanin came onto the scene, Aurigemma passed the events off to him. He became a vital part of facilitating the events that took care of others.
“As the years went on, different generations took those things over, and Pete was one of the frontrunners with it,” Aurigemma shared. “This year, we decided to do our annual toy drive, and we’re joining with Hoboken Grace Community Church, calling it the Sergeant Peter ‘Peachy’ Zanin Hoboken Police Toy Drive. Now and in the future, that is its new name.”
Aurigemma will never forget the little red-haired teenager running around Benny Tudino’s Pizzeria in Hoboken with his friends Eddie and Arbend Drishti, who also grew up to become law enforcement officers. The loss of Zanin’s gentle soul will be felt in Hoboken and beyond.
“He respected me as an elder, but I respected him because of his supervisor skills,” Zanin said. “We have a word we use in Hoboken, ‘cump’ — it’s a derivative of ‘compadre.’ It’s a term of affection. I considered Pete my ‘cump.’ I’m going to miss him.”
