Point Loma News

Something snapped. He was young, handsome, and popular. One day in 1982, Chris
Pastorino's twin brother disappeared from his Pennsyvania home without a trace. Despite
his attempts to find his brother, Chris failed. For 27 years, Chris didn't know if his brother
was dead or alive.

No one knows what happened in Jeff Pastorino's mind. He descended into a world of his
own, a world of voices and shadows. After 10 years of a confusing and mysterious life, Jeff
ended up sitting on a corner in the village of Point Loma, California. He sat there for more
than 15 years. He died on that corner in August 2009.

When he died, no one knew his name. The county failed to locate any family and was within
hours of "disposing" of Jeff when a community member's search for family struck paydirt.
Chris was stunned when the call reached him. He brought his brother home and buried him
with his family.

Jeff's story doesn't end there; it begins. A community that had largely ignored the "crazy
guy on the corner" miraculously began to come together. Flowers appeared on Jeff's
bench, then cards, letters, notes, and votives. Point Lomans could be seen in front of the
bench with tears running down their faces. Total strangers stood at the bench sharing
stories about Jeff. It turns out the man no one knew was known by everyone. He had
become a part of the community and although he lived in his own world, Point Lomans had
silently embraced him as their own.

Now the rest of the story is told. The story of Jeff Pastorino unfolds in The Man on the
Bench, a new book by h. Alton Jones. What leads a man from a promising and successful
early life to a bench in Point Loma, California. As the story unfolds, we find that we all
spend some time sitting on the bench.