Northfield police officer dies at age 27

Johnathan Scull, a 2014 Mainland Regional graduate, was just beginning career

NORTHFIELD — A lifelong city resident who had attained his dream of becoming a hometown police officer this year died last week in an accident while working on his car.

Johnathan D. Scull, 27, died Aug. 30 as a result of a tragic accident while working on his car, according to his obituary. 

Scull was a graduate of Northfield Community School and Mainland Regional High School Class of 2014. 

Steve Miller, a longtime teacher at NCS, said he taught Scull as well as his two siblings, Will and Amanda Scull.

“He was just a happy kid, very friendly,” Miller said. “If you were down, he would try to make kids laugh. He had an uplifting personality. He had this laugh that made you laugh too.”

“We are incredibly saddened by this unexpected and tragic loss of a member of our Mustang family,” Mainland Regional High School Chief School Administrator Mark Marrone said. “John, as well as his family, will be in our thoughts and prayers.”

He earned an associate degree in science from Atlantic Cape Community College and Certificate in Mortuary Science from Mercer County Community College.

Later he completed training at the Atlantic County Police Academy and was hired as the Northfield Police Department’s first full-time special law enforcement officer in November 2021. He later took on the role of code inspector and was hired as a full-time patrolman earlier this year.

The NPD announced Scull’s passing on its social media account.

“On behalf of the Northfield Police Department, it is with tremendous grief we announce the untimely passing of Officer Johnathan Scull #658.

“Officer Scull’s career as a police officer was just beginning. He was a proactive police officer and was excited to come to work every day. He was looking forward to a long career as a police officer in the town that he grew up in.

“He was undoubtedly going to be a great asset to the Northfield Police Department and the city of Northfield as a whole. May you rest in peace, Officer Scull #658. You will be greatly missed. We have the watch from here.”

Police Chief Paul Newman called the loss “devastating.”

“John was a great guy, knew how to carry himself,” Newman said, noting Scull was hired part-time. 

“We finally got to make him a full-time police officer, which I knew that was what he wanted to do,” Newman said. “I was just as excited to tell him as he was to hear that news. It picked me up at the same time.”

Newman saw good things in Scull’s future.

“He was young but no doubt he would have gone a long way in this business. It’s a big loss to the city,” he said.

Tradition was important to Scull, whose father is a retired captain with the New Jersey State Police. Scull followed in his father’s footsteps when he began working for the city in September 2020 as a part-time SLEO. He was promoted to full-time status in November after graduating from the Atlantic County Police Training Center in July 2021.

After being hired in November, Scull told The Sentinel he had grown up with structure in his house and strives to provide that to families that need it.

“Supporting people that need guidance is really important,” he said, noting that carries over into his other profession.

“When they call the police, it’s usually the worst day of their life so I try to talk it down as not as bad,” he said. “I really enjoy giving guidance.”

He also followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Francis D. Perfect, and become a funeral director with both the Adams-Perfect Funeral Home and Wimberg Funeral Home.

According to his obituary, Scull was an avid cross country runner in high school and loved exploring things and taking mechanical things apart to see how they worked. He also loved hiking, biking and camping with his family, especially in Lake George, N.Y. 

“John loved driving and he loved cars. That love is what tragically took him from us,” the obituary stated.

Scull recently traveled cross-country with his girlfriend Mollie Milne. They had dreams of continuing travel and exploration. 

Scull is survived by parents William and Helen Scull of Northfield, brother William of Cape Coral, Fla., sister Amanda of Northfield, and grandparents Paul and Merlyn Scull of Estell Manor.

Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Adams-Perfect Funeral Home, 1650 New Road, Northfield. Another visitation will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 5, at the Wimberg Funeral Home, 211 E. Great Creek Road, Galloway. A service will follow at 11 a.m. Burial will be he’d at Port Republic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to Pineland Preservation Alliance, 17 Pemberton Road, Southampton, NJ 08008 or through the website, PinelandsAlliance.org. Arrangements by a joint collaboration between Wimberg Funeral Home and Adams-Perfect Funeral Home.

– STORY and PHOTOS by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff