A ghoul with a hand truck was caught on video hauling a body to the back of a home on a tree-lined Brooklyn street, dumping it next to a garage and then walking away, police and horrified neighbors said Wednesday.
Cops said they are searching for the man caught on home surveillance footage rolling the body into the driveway on 72 St. near Fort Hamilton Pkwy. in Dyker Heights late Monday night.
The victim was identified by an uncle as Phil Guarino, 28.
His shirtless body was left in the driveway with what appeared to be a yellow bag over his head, photos viewed by the Daily News show.
Cops were called to the home about 11:40 a.m. Tuesday about the grisly find.
Neighbor Anthony Diprima, 55, said he saw the body “just laid out” by a garage.
“He had no shirt, no shoes. That’s what I seen — that’s why it’s so bizarre,” the lifelong Dyker Heights resident said. “I been here 55 years and in this neighborhood you would never see that. I’m just trying to figure out why you would drag a body back there and dump it.”
Police said the body had no apparent wounds.
A body was discovered in this driveway Tuesday. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)
Before the discovery, Guarino’s loved ones blasted out pleas on social media for help tracking him down, writing that he was last seen in Howard Beach, Queens around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
“His family and friends are worried,” the post read. “This is unlike him.”
Detectives notified Guarino’s family Tuesday night that the body was found, his uncle said.
“They’re taking It very hard,” said the uncle, who asked not to be named. “It’s a rough time to be talking about it now.”
The man said his nephew was “always smiling.”
“He never bothered nobody, very respectful,” he continued. “He was just a good kid.”
An elderly couple live at the home where the body was discovered, but no one had seen them in a while, neighbors said.
The shadowy figure who dumped the corpse was wearing a white hoodie pulled over his head and trying his best to avoid surveillance cameras, police told neighbors, who speculate that the suspect lived nearby.
Family were left with more questions than answers as they awaited an autopsy to determine how he died.
“Family is trying to keep very low key...before this whole thing is blown up,” said another family member.
As the news trickled through the tight-knit community, neighbors were left on edge.
“It’s a little unsettling,” said Chad Arnold, 23. “It’s a crazy situation, it’s very odd for the area and a shock.”
“I said ‘Not this neighborhood,’” echoed Anna Pagano, 73. “It’s like it’s spreading around New York. I’ve lived here 46 years and never seen anything like this.”
Violent crime seldom reaches the streets of the 68th Precinct, which covers Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge. There have been only two murders this year. There were no murders during the same period last year. There were 55 felony assaults this year, compared to 50 at the same time last year.
Grand larceny and car theft, however, are up significantly this year compared to the same time in 2021.
Car theft has skyrocketed in the neighborhood, with 70 reports made to police so far this year. The figure is an 84% uptick from the same time last year, when 38 incidents were reported. There have been 298 reports of grand larceny compared to 199 at the same time in 2021.
“I feel like it’s not safe now. Before, I felt it was safe,” Pagano said.
Copyright © 2022, New York Daily News
Copyright © 2022, New York Daily News