Joseph was born in Verona, Pennsylvania. He grew up there and then served a tour of duty in the Vietnam War with the Pennsylvania SPA4 479 Artillery. He became a police officer with the Verona Police Department and served there for almost two and a half years. He was also a fireman and a paramedic. He was just a few months away from his goal of joining the Pennsylvania State Police. On September 17, 1969, the Verona Police Department received a B.O.L.O. (be on the lookout) for Stanley Hoss, a convicted criminal who had just escaped from the Allegheny County Workhouse while awaiting sentencing for raping a 17-year-old girl. Hoss was last seen in a stolen yellow Corvette. On September 19,1969, Officer Zanella had just stepped out of the police station to go on routine patrol when he saw Stanley Hoss in the stolen yellow Corvette. Officer Zanella got in his police car and notified authorities that he was following Stanley Hoss, and that he was going to pull him over. He turned his lights on and pulled Hoss over in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, at Allegheny River Boulevard and Plum Street. As Officer Zanella was walking up to the driver's seat window, Hoss fired two .25 caliber shots at him. The first shot missed and hit a concrete wall behind him, but the second shot struck Officer Zanella in the chest, piercing his heart. He immediately fell to the ground and tried to crawl to his patrol car to contact authorities. However, while crawling to his patrol car, he died. Officer Zanella was survived by a son and his wife.
Joseph was born in Verona, Pennsylvania. He grew up there and then served a tour of duty in the Vietnam War with the Pennsylvania SPA4 479 Artillery. He became a police officer with the Verona Police Department and served there for almost two and a half years. He was also a fireman and a paramedic. He was just a few months away from his goal of joining the Pennsylvania State Police. On September 17, 1969, the Verona Police Department received a B.O.L.O. (be on the lookout) for Stanley Hoss, a convicted criminal who had just escaped from the Allegheny County Workhouse while awaiting sentencing for raping a 17-year-old girl. Hoss was last seen in a stolen yellow Corvette. On September 19,1969, Officer Zanella had just stepped out of the police station to go on routine patrol when he saw Stanley Hoss in the stolen yellow Corvette. Officer Zanella got in his police car and notified authorities that he was following Stanley Hoss, and that he was going to pull him over. He turned his lights on and pulled Hoss over in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, at Allegheny River Boulevard and Plum Street. As Officer Zanella was walking up to the driver's seat window, Hoss fired two .25 caliber shots at him. The first shot missed and hit a concrete wall behind him, but the second shot struck Officer Zanella in the chest, piercing his heart. He immediately fell to the ground and tried to crawl to his patrol car to contact authorities. However, while crawling to his patrol car, he died. Officer Zanella was survived by a son and his wife.
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