Police have identified a man whose body was found burning in Northeast Philadelphia early Tuesday.
On Tuesday, shortly before 1 a.m., fire crews were called to the scene on Newtown Avenue between Adams and Godfrey streets for reports of burning garbage. What they found in an isolated wooded area was a man’s body burned beyond recognition.
“When they were extinguishing the trash, they realized there was also a human body on fire,” Chief Inspector Scott Small tells NBC10.
They say the body was bound by an electrical cord. The cord was tied around his ankles, wrists and neck. The body was also tied to a large auto jack, according to authorities.
“The kind of jack that would be used in a garage to jack up a vehicle,” Small said.
Investigators believe gasoline was used to start the fire.
On Wednesday police identified the man as Angel Marrero-Padilla, 21, of Boudinot Street in Kensington. His death has been ruled a homicide. Investigators say he died from blunt force trauma to the head.
“We were able to discover some private surveillance cameras, so hopefully they’ll give us some information as to who the killer is,” according to Small.
It is unknown if the victim was dead before he was set on fire.
