Authorities Identify Bodies Pulled From Hudson River Near Border Of Weehawken And Hoboken
WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A gruesome discovery was made along the Hudson River in New Jersey, on Tuesday. Two bodies were found near a popular running path.
It was a quieter than normal day under grey drizzly skies, along the Hudson River in Weehawken.
"People always running around. This is the place where you can see people running, jogging," one woman told CBS2's Hazel Sanchez.
On Tuesday, the action along the waterside promenade was marked by striking yellow crime scene tape. Police said it's there that a passerby discovered two bodies washed up on the rocks.
The bodies were later identified as Ali Harb, 41, of West New York and Juan Bustamante, 35, of Union City.
"It's scary, it's scary. I'm probably not going to walking this path at night anymore," one person said.
It's not uncommon for bodies that ended up in the river during the winter to surface as the water warms up in the spring, WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported. However, it is unusual for two bodies to show up together.
Police said the two dead men were found not far from each other in the boat basin area between Harbor Boulevard in Weehawken and 15th Street in Hoboken.
It's right along the normally busy riverside route Esra Colon walks nearly every day.
"That's crazy, because Hoboken for me is, I believe is the most secure place I can walk around. It's so surprising to me. I'm really shocked," she said.
The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office is leading the investigation and so far has not been able to determine their cause of death. In a release sent out on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said the deaths do not appear suspicious.
"There's a lot of character that float around with Blackberries. All kinds of people, all kinds of people. They walk around and look at you, be careful," Angelo Costa said.
The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office hasn't been able to tell CBS2 how long the men had been in the water before being discovered, or if the men were linked in life before death.
