Steven Ercolino, who was shot dead at close range in a Midtown shooting Friday morning, was an industry veteran with years of experience in the apparel business.
"He was a top salesman," a source told Women's Wear Daily. "His customers loved him. He had a personal connection with them. He was a great salesman who knew his craft."
Ercolino, 41, lived with his longtime girlfriend in an apartment in New Jersey. He had recently moved there from Warwick, N.Y. and loved his new PATH train commute to work, a former colleague told NBC 4 New York. He had lived in Manhattan for a long time before that.
"He was in the prime of this life," said Paul Ercolino, his eldest brother.
Ercolino, who grew up in Nanuet, had several siblings and was a doting uncle to his nieces and nephews. He was close with his parents, whom he often visited in Warwick.
"They were very proud parents of their wonderful children," said neighbor Sherri Debergh. "I can't speak more highly of this family."
Ercolino was a native New Yorker who started out selling dresses for his father, who ran a women's clothing company, Women's Wear Daily reported.
Local
A source told Women's Wear Daily that Ercolino laid Jeffrey Johnson off more than a year ago. Last April, Ercolino filed a police report saying that Johnson threatened to kill him.
Friday, he made good on that threat.
Get the latest from NBC 4 New York anytime: iPhone/iPad App | SMS Alerts | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Instagram | RSS
