Memorial For Joan D'Alessandro, Murdered at 7, Approved by Officials

The Hillsdale Council unanimously approved Tuesday the text that will appear on a memorial to Joan D'Alessandro, a borough resident who was murdered 40 years ago when she was just 7 years-old.

The vote followed months of debate and revisions on how to best describe what happened to Joan. 

"I just had tears," her mother, Rosemarie D'Alessandro, said after hearing of the approval. "I had tears of joy, tears of relief."

The original version of the text, proposed by D'Alessandro earlier this year, made officials uncomfortable with the phrase "molested and murdered."

"We're talking about people coming off the train, and the first thing they see is a girl was 'molested and murdered' in Hillsdale," Councilman Larry Meyerson said in July.

The new version states, in part, that "while delivering cookies on Holy Thursday, Joan was the victim of a heinous crime at the hands of her neighbor who lived three houses away. With this loss of innocence, society's emphasis on child safety changed overnight."

"We've made great strides," Mayor Max Arnowitz said Tuesday. "My feeling is, it's fine now."

It also includes information about the conviction of Joseph McGowan, the man who murdered Joan.

Rosemarie D'Alessandro said she was comfortable with the final wording, noting that parts of it wouldn't have been included had it not been for the public review. The final version achieves her goals of explaining what happened to Joan, its historic impact and promoting child safety, she said.

"We couldn't change what happened. It had to be there," D'Alessandro said. "Children weren't playing in the woods anymore. They weren't walking down the street. This is historic."

Over the years since Joan's murder, Rosemarie D'Alessandro has gotten "Joan's Laws," which which eliminate the possibility of parole for those who sexually assault and kill young children, passed by the New Jersey, New York and federal governments, as well as the New Jersey "Justice for Victims Law" which allows victims' families to sue killers regardless of how much time has passed since the crime.

The new monument will be built on the grassy area in front of the Hillsdale train station. D'Alessandro said she hoped to unveil it April 3, the anniversary of the first "Joan's Law."

D'Alessandro is also seeking support for a new "Joan's Law" in New Jersey which would extend the age from 14 to 18. Anyone who wants to help can obtain a petition packet can email Rosebd@email.com or reach out via the Joan's Joy Facebook page.

"This is a message for society,"D'Alessandro said. "I will never stop fighting for that."