Jack Shaw of Jersey City, one of the 44 people arrested in Thursday’s massive New Jersey corruption scandal, was found dead in his apartment this evening, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio has confirmed.

A relative found the 61-year-old political consultant’s body, De Fazio said.

Police were called at 5:17 p.m. and Shaw was officially declared dead at 6 p.m.

Homicide investigators as well as the regular police contingent responded, DeFazio said, noting that no weapon was found.

An autopsy will determine the cause of death, he said.

In the criminal complaint against Shaw, he is accused of taking $10,000 from the government informant for himself and an additional $10,000 in campaign contribution for an unnamed Jersey City official.

The longtime consultant had been a keen observer of the rough-and-tumble world of Hudson County politics for decades.

(Source: The Jersey Journal)