Police believe the man whose headless body was scavenged in waters near Jamaica Bay may have hanged himself nearby, making him the fourth dead man found in the area since November. This is the second human body, authorities announced Saturday.
Police said the unidentified body was found near 165th Street and Cross Bay Boulevard in Queens just before 9 p.m. Friday, and was found hanging from a rope from the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge about 1,000 feet away. .
It was not immediately clear how the man died, but “there is a theory that he committed suicide by hanging and his body fell into the water,” police said in a statement.
The medical examiner’s office will determine the cause and manner of his death.
The tragic discovery was the fourth body to wash up on shore since November.
“It’s unusual to find so many bodies in a relatively short period of time,” said City Councilwoman Joanne Arriola (R-Queens), who represents most of the Rockaways.
“When I saw four bodies washed up in five months, I don’t remember anything other than the summer season,” she said. “This is extremely disconcerting, and I’m sure the NYPD is conducting a thorough investigation to determine if there is any pattern here.”
A 35-year-old man who worked at the nearby Vetro restaurant and identified himself as James R. said there was a large emergency response including police cars, ambulances and fire engines when the body was discovered.
“I’ve been working here for about 13 years, and you know in the summer when things like this happen. It’s not bodies, it’s water rescues and kayaks tipping over,” he said. “Every time someone falls into the water or there’s a water rescue, a helicopter comes out. There was no helicopter yesterday, so I thought, oh, it’s not like someone is drowning. . Without the helicopter, it would be a different thing.”
