NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) — A community in Newark came together Monday night to honor a former New Jersey assembly member who died Sunday after a car crash.
Albert Coutinho, 56, was a pillar of Newark’s Portuguese community and a key organizer of the city’s Portugal Day Festival.
The Portuguese and soccer communities remember him for his true passion: soccer.
Coutinho was the chairman and co-founder of the Ironbound Soccer Club, which gave young athletes a chance to compete at an elite level and potentially earn a scholarship.
His death was a shock to the Ironbound community in Newark.
“Everything that gets done in the East Ward is because Albert Catena’s hands are on it. He was my guiding light. He was the man that came up with solutions,” Newark City Councilman Michael Silva said.
The large vigil on Monday included soccer players, coaches, friends and family. Even competing soccer clubs came to pay their respects.
“When it comes to the kids there’s no rivalries. There’s not we’re all we’re all good friends. That’s all that matters,” Paul Baptiste of Den of Lion Soccer Club said.
Coutinho was the next generation in his family that poured love into a city that welcomed them to a new home.
“We are the capital of Portuguese immigration. Our history goes back 125 years and these few people on that Mount Rushmore of the Portuguese community, Al was one of them. He was an icon,” Councilman Silva said.
He died in a fiery crash on Sunday morning along McCarter Highway when his car collided with another.
First responders rushed him to the hospital, but he did not survive.
Councilman Silva has known Coutinho since middle school.
He was a Newark Police Officer when Coutinho told him that he could and should be a bigger voice in the city.
Silva ran for the city council.
“And from that moment on, he was by my side. A tremendous void for me and the community and this one will affect this community for a long time,” Silva said.
The Coutinho family birthed Portugal Day in Newark 47 years ago.
The assemblyman was very active in shaping tradition in Newark.
Coutinho was the first Portuguese American to serve in the NJ State Legislature.
He was forced to resign his seat in 2013 after pleading guilty to embezzling money from his family’s charity.
He received probation and was pardoned by Governor Phil Murphy, but he kept his focus on the community.
He was also a loyal member of the Portuguese Soccer Club.
“He is everything we embody as hardworking, genuine and loving. The opportunities he gave to the kids in this community were always enough for him to be content with making a name for themselves,” Nick Lavrador, with the Portuguese Soccer Club, said.
Coutinho was also the co-founder of the Ironbound Soccer Club.
“It is with a profound sorrow that Ironbound Soccer Club announces the passing of Alberto Coutinho, our Chairman and Co-Founder. Alberto’s leadership, vision, and tireless devotion to our club and community touched countless lives, and shaped Ironbound Soccer Club into what it is today,” the Ironbound Soccer Club said.
There are plans to name this soccer field St Charles Street after Albert Coutinho. The ceremony will likely take place in June, when they celebrate the Portuguese Day Festival.
“Albert was all about kids getting a great education, going to college, becoming successful. We’ve asked in lieu of flowers, we started in conjunction with Ironbound Soccer, an Albert continuous scholarship fund. So in lieu of flowers, please donate to that,” his sister, Helena Coutinho-Goncalves, said.
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