By Alex Christodoulides
The mystery had a happy ending last week when the man was identified, the hospital said, but a spokeswoman declined to provide any further details.The mystery man “was admitted to the hospital on Oct. 30 after being found on the subway in the area of 145th Street [in Manhattan]. He is Caucasian, English-speaking, approximately 5-foot-7-inches and 157 pounds, with an age range from the late 60s to the early 80s. He has brown eyes and brown/grayish hair, with a receding hairline,” the hospital said. After working closely with local and state authorities, the hospital turned to the media last week to spread the word and help identify the man. New York-Presbyterian Hospital's public affairs office distributed a release describing the man and what contact information he was able to give.New York-Presbyterian Hospital said the patient gave his name as Norman Smith and said he lived in Fresh Meadows, but nobody by that name lived at that address. The hospital did not give out the address.The hospital announced last Thursday that the man was no longer a “John Doe” after news outlets including 1010WINS, NBC Channel 4 and New York 1 published the release.”We are happy to report that 'John Doe' has been identified. However, due to patient confidentiality we cannot reveal his name,” New York-Presbyterian Hospital said. A hospital spokeswoman said she did not know whether the man had been identified by family, police or a member of the community nor in what borough he actually lived.Reach reporter Alex Christodoulides by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
