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Stowaway’s body parts fall in Floral Park from plane

By Howard Koplowitz

The remains, located at 361 Louis Ave., were part of a suspected stowaway aboard a South African Airways flight that originated in Johannesburg and stopped over in Dakar, Senegal before landing at Kennedy Airport, Port Authority spokesman Tony Ciavolella said. The wheel well of the aircraft was investigated and other body parts were found, he said.Hearne, a special education teacher who was the only one home at the time of the incident, said she had heard police were looking for body parts in the vicinity of Belmont Park because that is usually where the landing gear is turned on for planes preparing to land at Kennedy.Detective Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police said a leg and “groin area” were found at JFK. He added that the plane reported no problems in Johannesburg, but in Senegal the pilot reported hearing vibrations taxying down the runway and hours into the flight. Smith said the body parts found on Long Island hit that near the peak of the roof on Hearne's garage included an attached leg, hip and spine with an Adidas athletic shoe on the foot. Another Nassau County police official said earlier that one body part hit the roof of a detached garage and fell into the backyard. Hearne said the impact created a hole the size of half of a watermelon on her garage. She said she stood about 20 feet from the body parts before calling police.”It was scary at first,” Hearne said. “I heard the noise, but I didn't discover it until 10:40 this morning. It's extraordinary.”The Queens medical examiner's office was still investigating the body as of Tuesday, a Port Authority spokeswoman said. Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173