Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bottle with note left at NYPD precinct helped solve a Georgia murder, prosecutors say
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 7, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Jim Henderson via Wikimedia Commons
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 7, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An investigation into an “inoperable chemical weapon” placed at the entrance of an NYPD precinct in Manhattan eventually led to a 20-year-old man's indictment for a cold case homicide in Georgia, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Delano Hill, of Suwanee, Georgia, is charged in Manhattan with attempted criminal possession of a chemical weapon, placing a false bomb or hazardous substance and falsely reporting an incident, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
According to the indictment, on Dec. 10, 2024, Hill placed a plastic bottle at the entrance of the 6th Precinct at 233 West 10th Street with a note on it. The note claimed the bottle contained chlorine gas, and that its author had stabbed an individual named “Mr. Jones” in Suwanee, Georgia, the indictment states.
It states the bottle turned out to be filled with vinegar and bleach, which can produce chlorine gas when combined, but were at non-toxic levels in the bottle, according to New York City Department of Environmental Protection experts who reviewed it.
“We have no tolerance for anyone who threatens or puts members of law enforcement in harm’s way,” Bragg said. “The defendant’s actions against the NYPD are unacceptable and we will continue to pursue accountability in this matter.”
The note also said there was a second device planted at Yeager International Airport in West Virginia, but law enforcement searched the facility and no device was found, Bragg’s office said.
Prosecutors said the NYPD got in touch with members of the Gwinnett County Police Department about a “Mr. Jones” referenced in the note. Gwinnett police had an ongoing investigation into the unsolved fatal stabbing of Matthew Jones in September 2022.
In searches of Hill’s home in Suwanee, Georgia, law enforcement officials found a 24-page-document describing, among other things, the bottle of chlorine gas at the NYPD precinct in 2024, and the murder of Matthew Jones, prosecutors said.
According to local news reports, once in Gwinnett County police custody, Hill confessed to the 2022 stabbing. The reports cite local authorities saying he admitted he was targeting the person he believed sexually assaulted his friend, but said he killed the wrong person.
Hill was indicted on charges of murder and other offenses in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in June.
Hill's attorney for the case in Georgia, where he remains, didn’t return a request for comment. Hill has not yet been extradited to New York or arraigned in a Manhattan court. He has not yet been assigned an attorney in the Manhattan case.
Tagged
manhattan
nypd
public safety
Catalina Gonella
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .