karimah
02-20-2007, 12:20 PM
In a deep ravine, trapped dog leads Irvington police to body
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
BY REGINALD ROBERTS
Star-Ledger Staff
A trapped dog inside a 16-foot-deep ravine across the street from the Irvington municipal building led police yesterday to a frozen body.
A passerby flagged down a police car about 7 a.m. in Civic Square only yards from police headquarters and told officers there was a dog trapped in the brook, Police Chief Michael Chase said.
But when the officers went to investigate, they found not only a dog in distress, but the body of a 34-year-old man, the chief said.
"We don't know whether the dog belonged to the deceased or not," Chase said.
The body was later identified as that of Terry Green of Irvington.
Chase said it was unknown how Green got into the ravine. "At this point in the investigation, we don't think it's a homicide. We think it was accidental," he said. "But it's still under investigation."
The medical examiner had not determined the cause of death late yesterday.
The dog was rescued and taken to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Newark, Chase said.
For hours, a crew of investiga tors was on the scene looking for clues to what had happened. They noticed an obvious bruise on the victim's forehead.
Then firefighters arrived to retrieve the body, using the ladder from a firetruck to lift it from the ravine.
The ravine is formed by a 16-foot retaining wall that run through Civic Square and other parts of town. The wall is part of a tributary to the Elizabeth River.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
BY REGINALD ROBERTS
Star-Ledger Staff
A trapped dog inside a 16-foot-deep ravine across the street from the Irvington municipal building led police yesterday to a frozen body.
A passerby flagged down a police car about 7 a.m. in Civic Square only yards from police headquarters and told officers there was a dog trapped in the brook, Police Chief Michael Chase said.
But when the officers went to investigate, they found not only a dog in distress, but the body of a 34-year-old man, the chief said.
"We don't know whether the dog belonged to the deceased or not," Chase said.
The body was later identified as that of Terry Green of Irvington.
Chase said it was unknown how Green got into the ravine. "At this point in the investigation, we don't think it's a homicide. We think it was accidental," he said. "But it's still under investigation."
The medical examiner had not determined the cause of death late yesterday.
The dog was rescued and taken to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Newark, Chase said.
For hours, a crew of investiga tors was on the scene looking for clues to what had happened. They noticed an obvious bruise on the victim's forehead.
Then firefighters arrived to retrieve the body, using the ladder from a firetruck to lift it from the ravine.
The ravine is formed by a 16-foot retaining wall that run through Civic Square and other parts of town. The wall is part of a tributary to the Elizabeth River.