A Dead Man with a Distinctive Tattoo Found in Harlem River

RMA#772-13 UNIDENTIFIED DOA 52PCT 5-5-13 (1) — A look at the distinctive tattoo on the left shoulder of an unidentified dead man found floating in the Harlem River behind West 225th Street. (Photo courtesy NYPD)

On Sunday, May 5, at around 3 p.m., a dead man was discovered floating in the Harlem River right behind River Plaza on West 225th Street, which is in the 52nd Precinct.

More than two weeks later, police are still looking for help in identifying the dead man, who has a distinctive tattoo on his left shoulder. Inspector Joseph Dowling, the commander of the 52nd Precinct, said the precinct is still waiting on a toxicology report to determine the cause of death. But, at this point, Dowling said there weren’t any outward signs of a struggle on the man’s body and the precinct is not treating the case as a homicide.

“It appears that he drowned,” Dowling said.

Editor’s note: Anyone with information in regards to this unidentified person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. All calls are confidential. This story was originally published in the May 16-29 print edition of the Norwood News. An earlier version mistakenly reported that the body was found in the East River, which is what the NYPD reported. The body was actually found in the Harlem River.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.