Suffolk County police are investigating the discovery of a dead body in a burning SUV near a beach in the North Shore village of Nissequogue shortly before noon Tuesday.
Police and Nissequogue Fire Department firefighters responded to a 911 call from the scene in the parking lot of Short Beach, a park run by the Town of Smithtown overlooking Smithtown Bay and the Long Island Sound, authorities said.
After firefighters extinguished the flames, they discovered the victim in the vehicle.
The body was “extensively damaged” to the point where investigators could not immediately tell if the victim is male or female, Homicide Squad Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick told reporters at the scene.
Arson Squad detectives are also investigating. The remains will be taken to the county medical examiner’s office, where an autopsy will be conducted to determine the victim’s identity and cause of death.
“It’s a little creepy,” said a neighbor who lives near the scene on Short Beach Road.
