The death of Joe Cerniglia, a New Jersey chef who once appeared on one of Gordon Ramsay’s reality shows, ‘Kitchen Nightmares,’ has been ruled a suicide, the Star-Ledger is reporting, quoting the New York Medical Examiner’s office. Cerniglia’s body was found in the Hudson River on September 24, and the cause of death was initially ruled a drowning.

The medical examiner’s office revealed that blunt impact injuries were also found on Cerniglia’s body. Suicide is suspected, as a 911 caller reported that they saw someone jump from the George Washington Bridge about an hour before his body was found. However, the NYPD said the investigation is still on-going.

Cerniglia previously told the Star-Ledger that appearing on Ramsay’s restaurant-revamping show in 2007 was good PR for his Italian eater Campania. He added that the phone didn’t stop ringing for a long time after his episode aired. When Cerniglia bought the restaurant in 2004, it put him $80,000 in debt. During his episode, his mother Pat said “I worry about (Joe).  I worry about his stress levels.”

Written by: Karen Benardello

Joe Cerniglia and Chef Gordon Ramsay