Police said they discovered a man’s torso in a suitcase in the East River on Wednesday evening, spurring an investigation between the NYPD and city medical examiner’s office to find out who he was and how he died.
NYPD officials said a ferry crew spotted the suitcase near Governor’s Island around 5:30 p.m., prompting the department’s harbor unit to respond and retrieve it.
The suitcase was transported to Pier 16 in South Street Seaport, and the remains were taken to city medical examiners, according to police.
The NYPD said it still did not know the man’s age and identity as of Thursday morning. Police were investigating the death as likely suspicious, but it was not immediately ruled a homicide.
The grisly discovery marked the second time in the past week that police said they had found human remains in a public place. A man was found dead on Tuesday morning with his hands bound in a grassy area on the side of the Clearview Expressway in Queens, the NYPD said.
That investigation was also ongoing on Thursday, as the city medical examiner’s office worked to determine the man’s cause of death. He has not been identified yet either.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.
