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Influential NJ Farming Community Leader Dies After Accident In The Field

TABERNACLE, Nj. (CBS) -– A leader in the New Jersey farming community died Thursday after an accident in the field.

State Police say 73-year-old Anthony Russo III was working on seeding equipment when a person on the tractor, about to pull it, unexpectedly hit the accelerator. Russo was transported to Virtua Mount Holly where he died from his injuries.

Russo's Fruit and Vegetable Farm has been a pillar in the Burlington County area since 1940.

"Our families have been very close for a long time. It's a tragic loss for our family also, but all the families in Burlington County agriculture. They've been a part of Burlington agriculture for a long time," says Tabernacle Twp Mayor Stephen Lee.

In a statement on Facebook to their customers the Russo family said, "While we allow ourselves time to grieve, we will pick up the pieces and continue to carry on the legacy he loved so much."

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