State Investigating Death of 33-Year-Old Man on Lee Ave.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—State law enforcement is investigating an incident where a local man appears to have taken his own life in the backyard of a home in the Hub City’s Second Ward.

Residents at 38 Lee Avenue called authorities and New Brunswick Today after they opened their back door to find a stranger slashing his own throat on the evening of March 28.

City police did not respond to our request for information under the Open Public Records Act, while county officials referred us to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

“The Integrity Bureau within the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability is investigating a death Saturday night in New Brunswick,” said Peter Aseltine, a spokesperson for Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

“When police arrived, they found the unidentified man bleeding profusely from his neck,” said Aseltine.

The scene was chaotic, as officers and emergency medical technicians rushed to revive the victim, while taking precautions to avoid catching the “coronavirus” that has upended the way of life on much of the planet.

NBToday’s Carlos Ramirez, the first reporter on the scene, provided a pair of gloves to a police officer amid the frantic rush to aid the victim.

Shortly thereafter, about a half-dozen police officers were observed hopping in the back of an ambulance headed to the hospital, likely amid fears of viral contamination.

By 9:35pm, another ambulance with paramedics attempting to resuscitate the victim, departed the scene.

Aseltine said that the man was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:45pm.

The following day, a makeshift memorial had been erected in front of the house.

Authorities declined to name the man who passed away, only referring to him as a 33-year-old resident of the city.

“The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released,” said Aseltine.

Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office told a reporter that they were investigating because, “when there’s law enforcement contact and the person dies or may have died, we usually respond.”