Dead Man Discovered in Central Park Playground Is a Suspected Suicide
A man was discovered early on the morning of Dec. 11 with multiple wounds to his body, apparently inflicted by a knife. Police sources said the wounds appear to have been self inflicted. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
| 11 Dec 2023 | 05:58
The historic Heckscher Playground in the southern end of Central Park was the site where a deceased male was discovered on the morning of Dec. 11. He had multiple lacerations to his body. Photo: NYC Parks Dept
A lifeless body was discovered in a playground in Central Park on the morning of Dec. 11 and police believe the wounds were self inflicted.
A worker for the Central Park Conservancy discovered the unresponsive male in Heckscher Playground on the Central Drive around E. 62nd St. and police responded to the scene at 8:37 am.
The victim was said to have multiple lacerations to his body, according to a police spokesperson. Sources close to the situation sold Straus News that the wounds appear to have been self inflicted.
The man was described as a while male, 36 years old, and a resident of Manhattan, according to sources close to the investigation. Police sources said he was not a migrant and did not appear to be homeless.
EMS responded and pronounced him dead at the scene. His identity was not released pending notification of next of kin.
Central Park has its own police precinct patrolling its 843 acres and is generally known as one of the precincts with the lowest crime rates in the city. It has been busier than usual due to keeping an eye on protests on the Museum of Natural History on the West Side of the park in the 80s, which has attracted pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including on Dec. 11.
Its most commonly reported incidents are for petit larceny, which jumped 33.3 percent year to date to 40 from 30 a year ago and misdemeanor assault, up 51.6 percent with 47 reported incidents vs. 31 a year earlier. There were also four hate crimes reported year to day, vs. only one a year ago.
There was one murder last year in the park and none this year. The medical examiner still has to determine the cause of the most recent death.