Robert Bruce on Broad Street during taping of the ‘Comic Book Men’ series in 2014. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A Red Bank man was found dead in a storage facility Friday evening, police said.
Robert Bruce was known to fans of the Kevin Smith reality show ‘Comic Book Men‘ as a dealer of rare toys and other pop culture artifacts.
Bruce at a fashion show in Red Bank in 2011. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
The body of Bruce, formerly of Oakland Street, was found at the City Center document storage facility, located beneath a strip row of stores at West Front Street and Maple Avenue at about 6;30 p.m., according to a statement issued late Saturday by Captain Mike Frazee.
“Over a short period of time, the family learned that Bruce was possibly living in a basement storage unit that he was renting” in the facility, the statement said. A family friend checked the facility, found the body and and immediately called police, it said.
While it remains unknown how long Bruce had been dead, “foul play does not appear to be an issue,” the statement said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sean Hauschildt at 732-530-2719.
Meantime, the cause of death is under investigation by Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office, police said.
Representatives of the Philip J. Bowers and Company, which owns the facility, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An online vintage toy seller, Bruce was a cast member on ‘Comic Book Men,’ which ran for several seasons on the AMC cable channel. The show was recorded in filmmaker Kevin Smith’s Broad Street comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash.
Bruce, who grew up in Fair Haven, is survived by his wife, Laura Dardi, of Red Bank, and two sons; his mother Isabelle Ann Bruce and sisters Carolynn Sickerman and Jennifer Bruce Petro, all of Lynn Haven, Florida; and brother John Bruce, of Berea, Kentucky.
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