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Body Found Wrapped In Carpet In Harlem

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There's a murder mystery in Harlem.

Police say a man's body was found wrapped up in a red carpet and dumped in front of a Starbucks Thursday morning.

Police got a call just before 6 a.m. after someone saw the body on the sidewalk along West 145th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

"In the 32nd precinct, we have a weird incident that happened today in Upper Manhattan," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea.

Right next to parking meters and newspapers, the caller said they spotted what they thought were feet hanging from a rolled up red carpet.

"That led to the discovery of the individual within the carpet. No positive ID on the individual. Manhattan North and the homicide and detectives are actively working on this," Shea said.

Shea said the body had possible injuries to the head. They're now investigating it as a homicide. As the medical examiner determines the cause of death, neighbors are taking in the surreal scene.

"We don't have this kind of stuff happen here, not here," said James Greene. He's been the concierge at the Langston for 13 years. He says he saw the people who dumped the body on the building's surveillance tape.

"Two people walked by with a shopping cart, the shopping cart is over there now. They walked by and dumped it over there by my car," Greene said.

That makes his car part of the crime scene.

"I'm going to walk on home I guess," he said."

But the building is home to Greg Smith.

"This is a family building and it's very surprising. Who would've thought you would find a body under garbage in front of Starbucks?" he said.

"This area was very safe I thought, that was very bold," said resident Sueming Kosbar.

She calls it "bold" for someone to do this at such a busy intersection, which she plans to walk her dog through, as she always does, tomorrow morning.

"What can I do, you live here everyday," she said.

Around the corner on 147th street, investigators are scouring another residential building. Sources say that may have been where it all started.

Evidence markers line the two block stretch they believe the shopping cart was pushed before the body was dumped.

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