Police are trying to identify the charred remains of a man who was bound to a fence and set on fire in Tacony Creek Park early Tuesday. They’re also trying to figure out who set the blaze.
Firefighters were called to a wooded area near the 5500 block of Newtown Ave. at 12:52 a.m., said Officer Tanya Little, a Philadelphia police spokeswoman. But as they were extinguishing what appeared to be a rubbish fire, they found the burning body of a man.
Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters at the scene that the victim had electrical cords tied around his wrists, ankles and neck. The victim was bound to a fence and anchored to the ground by a large automobile jack, Small said.
Firefighters doused the flames and took the lifeless victim to the medical examiner’s office.
It is unknown if the man died before he was set on fire or if he was burned alive, Small said. By Tuesday afternoon, police had announced no suspects or potential motive for the slaying.
Autopsy results are pending. Homicide investigators are expected to review video surveillance film of the area, according to Small. ••
