Philadelphia Judge Adam Beloff reportedly kills self

Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Adam Beloff committed suicide Friday, several people who knew him said Sunday.

Beloff, 48, apparently hanged himself, said a source in the First Judicial District, who could not confirm where it happened. The source asked not to be named because the district has yet to issue a formal statement.

Beloff, who lived in South Philadelphia and had a house in Ventnor, N.J., was elected in 2009 despite not being endorsed by the Democratic Party in the primary.

A biography provided by Beloff when he was running for the court seat said he was born in South Philadelphia to Ruth and Stanley Beloff, and raised in a family of six children.

He also was a fourth cousin of Leland Beloff, the Democratic powerbroker and former councilman who was convicted in 1987 of trying to shake down developer Willard G. Rouse 3d.

The judge had worked as a trial litigator, certified mediator, and arbitrator, with practices in Philadelphia and New Jersey, representing clients in state and federal courts.

Common Pleas Court President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe said Sunday that she had not received official word about Beloff's death.

The judge, she said, was "absolutely a lovely person. He was hardworking, enjoyed his work, and went out of his way to learn as much as he could as soon as he could," she said.

Dembe said she had no hint that he was troubled.

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who is chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, said he heard that Beloff had hung himself.

Beloff "always wanted to be a judge - that was his golden ring - he got it and he appeared to be as happy as could be," Brady said.

Common Pleas Court Judge Benjamin Lerner said: "I'm really sad. . . . I don't know of anything that was going on in his life that would even suggest something like this. Whenever I saw him in the building, he was someone who really liked being a judge, and seemed very upbeat."

Inquirer staff writer Jonathan Lai contributed to this article.