By Nathan Duke
Police said they have not yet determined whether a man who was discovered dead this week in a Little Neck shopping center’s underground parking lot had been murdered or died from a medical condition, but nearby store owners described a bizarre scenario.
The man, whose identity and age have not yet been released, had been sleeping in his car and died while attempting to leave the lot, crashing into a wall, said workers at the shopping center at 248-25 Northern Blvd. in Little Neck near the Bayside border.
Police said the body was discovered around 7:30 a.m. Monday. Some workers at the shopping center said they were told the man had been stabbed, while others were told he had died after a tumor on his neck burst.
The NYPD had not yet determined the cause of death as of Tuesday, a spokeswoman said. The investigation is ongoing, she said.
Store owners at the center said the man, who was believed to be Hispanic and in his 40s, had been sleeping in his car in the underground lot for some time.
“He usually sleeps here,” said Sang Lee, who works at an Allstate agency in the center. “There was a lot of blood on the car seat when they pulled him out. He was nude.”
Lee said he had occasionally seen the man changing clothes near his car in the early morning.
Joe DiMaria, owner of DiMaria’s pizzeria, said the man’s car had bumper stickers of a lewd nature. The car was eventually towed from the site, he said.
DiMaria said he believed the man was ill and that he had attempted to leave the lot after a tumor on his neck began bleeding.
“I think he was sick,” he said. “He was driving and his car hit the cement and stopped.”
Christine Han, owner of Taeneung Kalbi restaurant, said she had seen the man around and noticed the tumor on the left side of his head.
“This is the first time this has happened in this area,” she said. “Usually, there’s no problem.”
Both DiMaria and Han also said they were told the man had been naked in his car.
The city medical examiner’s office could not be reached for comment.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
