The 57-year-old man was found in an industrial area of the city's East Ward Monday morning
NEWARK - A man found dead in the city's East Ward Monday morning was the victim of an apparently grisly crime.
According to multiple law enforcement sources, the 57-year-old was shot in the head and severely burned before being discovered on the 200 block of Astor Street at around 7:37 a.m.
It is unclear exactly when the man died, or whether he had been intentionally set on fire.
The industrial neighborhood lined with auto mechanics and welding shops was quiet and free of any law enforcement presence when a reporter arrived early this afternoon.
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Thomas S. Fennelly, a chief assistant prosecutor with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, said this morning that an autopsy would determine the exact cause and manner of death, but that the case was being treated as a homicide. Authorities have declined to provide any additional details.
Sources said the man is believed to have been homeless, and authorities have been attempting to contact a relative before identifying him.
If ruled a homicide, the death would mark the 76th in Newark so far this year, and the second in as many days.
Authorities have also yet to announce a cause of death for a 68-year-old man found dead outside his home on Sherman Avenue Saturday night.
Law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation, however, said he appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma, and surveillance video captured him being assaulted and kicked in the head before medical responders arrived on scene.
Newark totaled 93 homicides during all of 2014.
Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
