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Police await autopsy on Staten Island teen they say was malnourished
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Aug 19, 2026
Modified Aug 19, 2026
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Brittany Kriegstein/Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Aug 19, 2026
Modified Aug 19, 2026
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The NYPD is awaiting autopsy results as it investigates the death of a 19-year-old found in a Staten Island apartment building Tuesday. Police said the teen appeared to have been malnourished.
NYPD officials said officers responded to a 911 call from the teen’s mother inside a building on Elmwood Park Drive near Devon Loop in New Springville around 11 a.m.
They found the unconscious teenager when they arrived, and EMS workers pronounced him dead at the scene, police said.
Police officials said the teen's ankles and feet were swollen. They said they are waiting for the city medical examiner’s office to determine his cause of death, which they did not immediately classify as a homicide.
Several neighbors from the building told Gothamist they didn’t even know the teenager was living there and never saw him around the complex.
“I honestly had no idea what was going on,” said Angela Mujahid, who has lived downstairs from the teen’s third-floor apartment for three years but couldn’t remember ever meeting him.
“It was a surprise to me as well when I came home yesterday after work and seen the coroners and the detectives and what have you. It’s a sad thing, and I’m sorry it happened,” she added.
Freddy Reyes, who lives down the street, said he saw officers swarming the building on Tuesday afternoon and was shocked when he saw what had happened on the news.
“I just saw a lady in the front and a child crying when I left yesterday afternoon,” he said.
Police did not make any immediate arrests in connection with the incident, and have not yet released the teen’s identity.
This story has been updated to correct how police describe the state of their investigation. This story has additionally been updated with more information.
Tagged
public safety
staten island
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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