North Jersey man declares new 'town' in gap between Nutley and Belleville
Beltley, a mashup of Belleville and Nutley, consists of a field, a parking lot and a playground.
A North Jersey man has declared a brand new town, and it's already picking up thousands of views online.
John "Cozz" Cozzarelli says he stumbled onto the idea while walking down the street and noticing the space between the "Welcome to Nutley" sign, and the one for Belleville.
"There was an in-between area, so it's just this null area that we could create a new town in," Cozzarati said. "That was how Beltley came to be."
Beltley, a mashup of Belleville and Nutley, consists of a field, a parking lot and a playground. Cozzarelli started posting videos about the town to social media last week, and they've since racked up thousands of views and hundreds of comments.
"I think people just want another municipality in New Jersey," he said. "They just can't get enough of them here."
Asked why he didn't go with "Nutville" instead, Cozzarati said he wanted something that represented both towns equally.
"I thought Nutville was a little too Nutley-centric, and Beltley seemed like a better merge, because it's really a culmination of both towns coming together to create a new town," he said.
He was less quick to compare himself to the nation's founders, when asked if he is akin to Washington, Jefferson, or Adams.
"What they did was so long ago, and it's kind of obvious what they were doing, because they had boats and things to explore places," Cozzarati said. "For me, it seemed more like I dug up a hidden treasure."
"I'm hoping that Beltley really becomes a destination for not just New Jerseyans, but for all of America," he said.
One detail Cozzarati has yet to address: the land Beltley sits on is technically owned by the township of Belleville.
To be clear, Beltley is not an officially recognized town.
