A woman’s body found in the East River near Queens park
A woman’s body was discovered floating in the East River near a busy Queens park on Sunday morning. The body was found approximately 50 yards away from an abandoned Mercedes covered in blood, according to authorities.
Police received a 911 call about an unconscious person in the water near Fort Totten at Cross Island Boulevard and Totten Road around 11:15 a.m. Emergency responders arrived at the scene and declared the woman, believed to be around 45 years old, dead.
A pedestrian first spotted the body floating along the rocky shoreline near a popular jogging path in Little Bay Park by the Throgs Neck Bridge.
The white Mercedes E-class with New York plates was parked about 50 yards away from the body, with blood smears covering the rear driver-side door.
The medical examiner will determine the cause of death of the woman and took pictures of the car’s interior before approaching the body. The car’s white leather interior was also marked with blood, including a pool on the driver’s seat.
Police have not released the identity of the woman pending family notification.
Locals were shocked by the disturbing scene in the typically quiet neighborhood.
“I lived here my whole life, and never saw a crime scene here,” said Max, a 48-year-old resident from nearby Whitestone. “This is terrible. A dead body lying right there next to the jogging path and the car with blood on the doors? My daughter asked me if they were shooting a movie.”
“It makes no sense,” he continued. “This is the busiest spot anywhere around, especially on Sundays. Everybody comes here to ride their bikes, rollerblade, go for a walk with their dog.”
“This is insane that it’s right here in the middle of it.”
