North Jersey man declares new town of Beltley

John Cozzarelli, a musician and small business owner from Belleville, New Jersey, has gained viral attention after declaring a patch of land between Belleville and Nutley to be the new town of ‘Beltley’.

Cozzarelli, who operates Cozz Coffee, placed a sign in a park on Joralemon Street to announce the town’s founding. The concept quickly gained traction online, with visitors creating makeshift amenities such as a ‘public library’ from a book bin and a ‘dog park’ from a dog crate. While the town is technically within the borders of Belleville, Cozzarelli intends to use the movement to benefit the community by selling ‘Welcome to Beltley’ merchandise to raise funds for Belleville Recreation.

Some social media users have jokingly pushed back against the name, proposing ‘Nutville’ instead, but the initiative remains centered on Cozzarelli’s concept of unity between the two neighboring areas.