Remnants of the Surf Club in Ortley Beach, destroyed in Superstorm Sandy. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The Baecellona family, which for decades operated the beloved Joey Harrison’s Surf Club in Ortley Beach, announced the family patriarch who started the oceanfront business has died.
Joseph J. Barcellona, who was 87, died in Miami Feb. 9. He named the club after his father, Joseph Barcellona Sr., who was a ranking middleweight boxer who fought under the name “Joey Harrison.” The nightclub that came to be known as Joey Harrison’s Surf Club had been located along the oceanfront in a few iterations (including one named “Auggie Hoffman’s Surf Club”) before the family purchased it in 1973 and developed it into one of the Jersey Shore’s most famous clubs, and one of the few located directly on the ocean between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
It was that perfect location that became less-than-perfect during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, when the building was torn apart by waves generated by the storm. Initially, there were indications that the family would rebuild, however entanglements with insurance companies, environmental permitting, demolition companies and many of the factors that delayed thousands of property owners from quickly rebuilding took its toll. The family considered a plan to sell the property to a developer who had been proposing a condominium complex, but ultimately sold the property to the state under the DEP’s Blue Acres program, with input from Toms River Township and Ocean County. The deal was mediated by the Ortley Beach Voters and Taxpayers Association, whose members – in the absence of rebuilding the business – wanted the property to be turned into additional public beach access.
The former Joey Harrison’s Surf Club property, March 12, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Remnants of the Surf Club in Ortley Beach, destroyed in Superstorm Sandy. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Demolition begins at Joey Harrison’s Surf Club, Dec. 3, 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The township’s contribution toward the $7.3 million acquisition was financed through the sale of land near Cattus Island County Park and Ocean County College to the county, which was finalized earlier this month. The state retains title to the site, while it is to be managed by the township. Toms River officials are still awaiting details on how the site can be improved with access points and a potential extension of the neighborhood’s boardwalk, though there have been indications that the DEP has pushed back on any development at the site.
The Herald-News, a print newspaper that was published in North Jersey for decades, carried a story about the family in 1981, with quotes from the former boxer expressing his pride in how his son built the business. The Barcellona family has deep roots in New Jersey nightlife, at one time or another operating bars and concert venues across the state, including the “Surf Club North” in Fairfield, Essex County.
“He never had time for nonsense,” a friend was quoted as saying. “He works and works and works.”
The former Joey Harrison’s Surf Club property, Ortley Beach, N.J., June 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The former Joey Harrison’s Surf Club property, Ortley Beach, N.J., June 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The former Joey Harrison’s Surf Club property, still undeveloped in July 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Joey Barcellona, Jr. paid tribute to his father via social media shortly after his passing.
“A truly great and courageous man, founder, owner and employer of what was our Happy Place, ‘Joey Harrison’s Surf Club’ in Ortley Beach, as well as many others,” is how he described his father.
A short obituary was posted online by a Miami-area funeral home, however no public services were announced.
