A man believed to be in his 40s was found unconscious and unresponsive under a sidewalk shed at 154 East 175th Street in Mount Hope around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, and EMS pronounced him dead at the scene. He had no identification on him and remains unidentified, with police sources saying they believe he had been homeless.
Officers from the NYPD’s 46th Precinct responded to the scene, according to amNewYork. Police sources told the outlet that drug paraphernalia was found nearby and that the man showed no signs of trauma, leading investigators to believe he suffered an overdose. Police said the death was not believed to be criminal in nature at this time, though the investigation remains ongoing.
The city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause of death, police said. Until then, the man’s identity and the precise circumstances of his death remain open questions for investigators working the case.
A Borough Still Reeling From Overdose Deaths
The location of Thursday’s death sits inside a borough that has posted the city’s worst overdose numbers for years running. Bronx residents had the highest overdose mortality rate of any borough in New York City at 78.0 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2023, more than double Manhattan’s rate, according to data published by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, were involved in roughly 80% of citywide fatal overdoses, with South and Central Bronx neighborhoods bearing a disproportionate share of that toll, per the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York…