- Body of unknown man discovered after shocked worker called police
- A source told DailyMail.com it was being treated as a suspected suicide
A man has been found dead in a Central Park playground with a bloody knife in his pocket and wounds all over his body.
A shocked worker discovered the body and called police, who arrived at the Heckscher Playground near Center Drive and 62nd Street in New York City at 8:37 a.m. Monday.
Police said the 36-year-old man suffered “superficial” stab wounds to his neck, chest and abdomen and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
NYPD Assistant Chief Ruel Stephenson said police's preliminary theory was that “his injuries could have been self-inflicted.”
A source told DailyMail.com that the death was being treated as a suspected suicide.
A man has been found dead in a Central Park playground with a shoelace around his neck
The NYPD cordoned off the area Monday morning. A source told DailyMail.com it was being treated as a suspected suicide
Police initially thought the man had a string or shoelace tied around his neck, but upon further investigation, it turned out that it was only the string from the hoodie he was wearing.
A detective speaking alongside Assistant Chief Stephenson said a knife with blood on it was found in the pocket of his hoodie.
He said the man did not look homeless.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death and police have not said whether they suspect foul play.
New York City had 2,314 crimes last week, a decrease of 4.93 percent from the same period last year, but 24.32 percent more than in 2021.
These include five murders, 43 rapes – almost double the number in 2022 – 344 robberies and 444 crimes.