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D’Amato News and Current Headlines

D’Amato Law Firm in Egg Harbor Township is proud to be featured in a number of news articles and local media. Check out the information and links below to learn more about what we’ve done throughout the community.
 

Reward Doubled to $40,000 in 2015 Tiffany Valiante Suspicious Disappearance, Death

Netflix announces case will be featured in new ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ season starting Oct. 18th

Egg Harbor Township, NJ (October 11, 2022) – More than seven years after her highly suspicious death, and the controversial investigation that followed, Tiffany Valiante’s parents remain hopeful there finally will be #JusticeForTiffany. Stephen and Dianne Valiante, of Mays Landing, said today they have renewed confidence their daughter’s case will be reopened and that those responsible for their daughter’s death will be held accountable. Effective today, following the announcement that the case will be featured in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, Mystery At Mile Marker 45, when the program’s new season debuts on Netflix on October 18th, they have doubled to $40,000 the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible for Tiffany’s July 12, 2015, death along the New Jersey Transit (NJT) Atlantic City Line tracks near her house.Tiffany Reward Poster

“We know every day Tiffany is looking down on us, giving us the strength to help find those who snatched her and were responsible for her death just before she was to start her incredibly promising college career,” said the parents. “We know so many others that also believe Tiffany’s death was not suicide, that there was a rush to judgement to close the case, and that the real story of how and why she died has yet to be told. The combination of this new, deeply-researched, fact-based program, and the increased reward, might just be what’s necessary to help get Tiff’s case reopened,” they added through Paul D’Amato, a family friend and New Jersey-based attorney.

Mr. D’Amato said he joins the Valiante family and its legion of supporters from the area and around the country who continue to fight for #JusticeForTiffany. “Little known is that Stephen and Dianne had to re-mortgage their house, use their own savings to pay for DNA testing of evidence that was gathered but never examined after Tiffany’s death, which was quickly ruled a suicide before a robust probe could be conducted. Due to compromised or lost evidence, which included a bloody axe found at the scene, the nationally recognized forensic DNA lab’s report was incomplete and inconclusive. I share the parents’ belief that there are those who know what really happened to cause Tiff’s death, but they’ve yet to come forward. Maybe, just maybe, someone watching Unsolved Mysteries (www.unsolved.com) will see something then say something to law enforcement that can lead to definitive answers.” Anyone with information about the case is urged to immediately contact law enforcement, including the state Office of Attorney General at 800-277-2427.

He added, “The N.J. Medical Examiner abruptly concluded Tiffany’s death was suicide despite the lack of motive, without conducting a full autopsy, a rape-kit analysis, or proper DNA-evidence analysis, all for reasons still unknown seven-plus years after her mysterious death.”

James Carney, former Judge of the Atlantic County Surrogate’s Court, is among many who believe there can be no justice for Tiffany until the circumstances surrounding her death are re-examined by a state agency, like the New Jersey Attorney General, or the federal Department of Justice.

Prior to her death, Tiffany was making plans to attend her first year at Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, New York), where she was awarded an athletic scholarship. An all-conference volleyball player at Oakcrest High School and for the East Coast Crush Volleyball Club, she was heavily recruited by colleges and longed to play at the highest level – possibly someday in the Olympic games – while pursuing a career in criminal justice.

Contacts:
Paul R. D’Amato / [email protected]
[email protected]
Steph Rosenfeld / [email protected]

 

Tiffany Valiante Case Highlighted on Netflix Unsolved Mysteries

On October 18, 2022, Netflix will start streaming the new season of Unsolved Mysteries, a popular series that documents the circumstances surrounding mysterious deaths, disappearances, and situations. The 2015 death of Hamilton Township, New Jersey teenager Tiffany Valiante is one of the cases that will be featured on the show this season in an episode titled ‘Mystery at Mile Marker 45,’ reports The Press of Atlantic City.

Tiffany, who had just graduated from high school and was planning on attending Mercy College on an athletic scholarship, was hit by a NJ Transit train travelling between Atlantic City late on July 12, 2015. Tiffany’s death was quickly ruled a suicide, but her parents, represented by the D’Amato Law Firm, believe Tiffany’s death was more likely a murder. They fought in court to have evidence collected by NJ Transit police to be tested privately. Eventually, the Valiante family and Mr. D’Amato were given several pieces of evidence that law enforcement had stored away since Tiffany’s death more than seven years ago.

For more on the Tiffany Valiante case and the upcoming Netflix Unsolved Mysteries episode, read the full article on The Press of Atlantic City.

If you lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence or wrongful actions, contact a South Jersey wrongful death lawyer at the D’Amato Law Firm. We can help you obtain the financial compensation you are entitled and ensure that the responsible parties are held accountable. From our office in Egg Harbor Township, we represent clients throughout Atlantic City and South Jersey. To discuss your case, please contact us online or call us at 609-926-3300 for a free consultation.

 

D’Amato Law Firm Continues Its Fight for Answers in Case of Teen Girl Killed by Speeding Train; New Press Coverage Highlights Forensic Mishandling in Initial Investigation

Though it has been seven years since Dianne and Steve Valiante of Mays Landing were informed that their 18-year-old daughter Tiffany had intentionally jumped to her death in front of a New Jersey Transit Train, the mystery surrounding Tiffany’s tragic death remains a point of contention and interest for the media, as the publication of a new article on The Daily Beast takes a closer look at the mishandling of the case by investigating authorities.

The idea that their daughter committed suicide has never sat right with the Valiantes, who remain convinced that something criminal happened to Tiffany on the night of July 12, 2015. The Valiantes are not alone in their belief that there was a rush to judgement by authorities over their daughter’s tragic death. Attorney Paul D’Amato, and consultant Stephan Rosenfield have worked diligently with the Valiante family on their quest for answers, as continuous findings of mishandled evidence and new clues point to the theory that Tiffany may have been murdered.

Approximately two weeks after her daughter died, Dianne discovered some items under a tree about a mile from her home. According to Diane, she found Tiffany’s headband and shoes lined up in the grass, as if someone had put them there deliberately. There was also a keychain and sweatshirt nearby, both of which Dianne did not recognize as belonging to Tiffany. Detectives interviewed the Valiantes for the first time three days later, and subsequently misplaced the keychain before it had a chance to be analyzed. D’Amato has cited other examples of evidence being mishandled by authorities, including a missing ax with red markings found near the crash site and contamination of Tiffany’s clothing and other items, rendering them forensically useless.

In light of the reports, D’Amato has been fighting to get the official manner of death changed from suicide to undetermined. In March 2018, New Jersey State Medical Examiner Andrew Falzon decided to leave the manner of death unchanged. This has not deterred D’Amato from continuing his pursuit of justice for the Valientes.

It is clear that the Valientes and their team of advocates will not stop fighting until they receive justice for Tiffany. In Tiffany’s honor, the Valiante family erected a small hut decorated with pictures of happy memories, along with a bench, by the train tracks where she died. Steve also constructed the beach volleyball court he had promised to build his daughter and laid down a plaque in a backyard memorial garden that reads, “Rooted in love, forever in our hearts.” You can read the full Daily Beast article here.

South Jersey Wrongful Death Lawyers at the D’Amato Law Firm Provide Personal Legal Representation

If you lost a loved one because of someone else’s negligence or wrongful actions, contact a compassionate South Jersey wrongful death lawyer at the D’Amato Law Firm. We can help you obtain the financial compensation you are entitled and ensure that the responsible parties are held accountable. From our office in Egg Harbor Township, we represent clients throughout Atlantic City and South Jersey. To discuss your case, please contact us online or call us at 609-926-3300 for a free consultation.