Body found near LIRR tracks in Wantagh

The body of an unknown man was found at Wantagh’s Long Island Rail Road station early Sunday morning. As of press time, MTA police had not identified the victim nor determined the cause of death.

An LIRR crew on an eastbound 6:25 a.m. train out of Penn Station reported that a person was spotted underneath the platform, adjacent to Track 2, in Wantagh at 7:25 a.m. on April 12. An off-duty MTA police officer, who was on board the train, requested the power shut off. He confirmed that the individual was dead.

MTA police and detectives responded and observed the body lying face down, near the tracks. The train’s engineer reported that his train did not strike the person.

“We don’t know what happened to this guy,” said Salvatore Arena, a spokesman for the MTA. “It does not appear that he was hit by a train.”

The victim was a Hispanic male, approximately 50 years old. Arena said that an autopsy will likely be performed to determine the cause of death.

As is LIRR practice, Arena said, the train was taken out of service and passengers were placed on the next eastbound train. He said there were minor residual delays on Babylon Branch that morning. The investigation is continuing.