Anthony Bello often sat on a park bench in Pershing Field and drank his morning coffee while reading the newspaper.

That same bench, which sits a few hundred feet from Bello's Manhattan Avenue home, yesterday was adorned with with flowers and messages of love a day after the 77-year-old was apparently stabbed in the chest while walking to church.

Officials say Bello was involved in an altercation around 8 a.m. Sunday when he was stabbed in the torso. He was transported to Jersey City Medical Center where he died about an hour later. The other person involved in the altercation walked away from the scene, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

Friends of Bello, a retired teacher and baseball coach, said he wouldn't hurt anyone, and they're searching for answers about what caused his death. Paul Lewandowski, who regularly exchanged stories with Bello about their time serving in the military, described Bello as having a "big heart."

"He wouldn't hurt a fly," he said."I was walking through the park yesterday ... and at first it didn't dawn on me who it was."

Bello taught at County Prep High School and then middle school at St. Nicholas School, just one block from his home. He coached baseball for the Babe Ruth and RBI leagues and loved sharing his knowledge of the game with younger kids.

"He basically mentored a lot of children and taught a lot of kids baseball," said Joe Napolitano, who ran the Pershing Field Babe Ruth baseball program for many years.

Police have not announced any arrests in connection with the incident. Autopsy results to determine the cause and manner of Bello's death are pending, though a preliminary report indicates he died from the wound to his torso.

Two of Bello's children dropped off flowers at the bench after yesterday morning's rain subsided. They declined to comment on the 77-year-old's death.

Mariah DeBenedetto said that when she recently left for vacation, Bello stopped her as she packed her suitcase into the car and told her to have a great time. She stepped off a cruise ship Sunday to messages that Bello had been stabbed.

"Horror," DeBenedetto said of how she felt reading the news. "That could have been any of us. He was going to church."

Bello's death is being investigated by Hudson County Prosecutor's Office homicide detectives and the Jersey City Police Department. Anyone with information can call 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip on the Hudson County Prosecutor's website. All information will be kept confidential.